Cyber-aggression towards women: Measurement and psychological predictors in gaming communities

Abstract

Approximately 52% of young women report receiving threatening messages, sharing of their private photos by others without their consent, or sexual harassment online – examples of cyber-aggression towards women. A scale to measure endorsement of cyber-aggression towards women was developed to be inclusive of the many contemporary ways that women are targeted online. We examined sociopolitical ideologies (right-wing authoritarianism, social dominance orientation) and perceived threats (based on the Dual Process Motivational Model of Ideology and Prejudice, as well as Integrated Threat Theory) as predictors of endorsement of cyber-aggression towards women in three studies (Pilot Study, n = 46; Study 1, n = 276; Study 2, n = 6381). Study 1 and 2 participants were recruited from online video gaming communities; Study 2 comprised responses collected during or after a livestream of YouTubers doing the survey went viral. The YouTubers criticized feminism and alleged that female gamers had privilege in the gaming community. In all three studies, exploratory factor analyses suggested endorsement of cyber-aggression towards women is a unidimensional psychological construct and the scale demonstrated great internal reliability. In path analyses, social dominance orientation emerged as the most consistent predictor of endorsement of cyber-aggression towards women, mediated, in part, by perceived threats.