Cyber-Victimology as a New Reality of the Technotronic Society (Gender Research)

Abstract

The article studies some issues of cyber-victimology development. This is a doctrine of the crime victim committed with the help of computer technology. The purpose of the study is to identify the real situation of еру cases regarding the victimization of different sexes on the Internet (in the regional aspect). For this purpose, a poll of 584 students of all major universities of Irkutsk Oblast was conduсted. The respondents were asked to assess the dangers of using the Internet and indicate instances of individual victimization in this environment. To obtain information on gender differences of cyber-victimization, the respondents were divided in term of genders (221 men and 363 women). The study showed that, like in ordinary life, in the virtual space, men more often demonstrate risky behavior, neglect of safety rules and frivolous attitude to possible threats. Victims on the Internet are often those who have already been a victim in real life. At the same time, women are more often exposed to victimization effects (there are almost four ypes of discriminatory acts per one female user, while there are three acts per a man on the average). Types of victimization effects are also gender-specific. The largest discrepancy in the structure of victimization was recorded for hacking into an account on social networks (6 % for men against 49 % for women); installation of malicious programs on the computer (14 % against 8 %); insults (20 % against 10 %) and indecent proposals (10 % against 25 %), as well as embezzlement of confidential information (3 % against 1 %). Thus, men are more likely to become victims of the theft of passport data (payment cards), are subjected to attacks by extortionists, verbal aggression, or suffer from dishonest sellers of goods. Women with a higher frequency become victims of hacking into accounts in social networks and sexually colored cyber-stalking. Significant damage, despite a small number of such cases, was almost twice as often caused to men. The results of the study indicate that more than 90 % of the surveyed age group were victims of cybercrimes, as a rule, of several ones. According to the respondents reports, about 15 various forms of victimization effects on the Internet were identified. Among them there is hacking of a mailbox or an account, dissemination of false information on behalf of the users name, indecent offers, sexual harassment, registration of paid Internet subscriptions, false repayment of the fine, and so on.