Abstract
The number of Internet users around the word is at an all-time high. The majority of North Americans are internet users and over two-thirds participate in some kind of social network (i.e. Facebook, Twitter, etc.). Social networks and mobile technology enable individuals to connect instantaneously or asynchronously, across geographic boundaries publicly or anonymously. Few studies exploring cyber harassment have been conducted, primarily because these technologies are relatively recent. The purpose of this descriptive study was to examine U.S. women's experiences with and attitudes toward cyber harassment by way of an anonymous electronic survey. A total of 293 adult women (mean age 24.6) recruited from popular social networking sites participated in the research. The majority of participants (58.5%) reported being a student enrolled at a college or university. Close to 20% repeatedly received an unsolicited sexually obscene message and/or sexual solicitation (excluding Spam messages for all categories) on the Internet. More than 10% (11.5%, n = 33) repeatedly received pornographic messages from someone they did not know. More than a third of those who did experience some form of cyber harassment reported feeling anxious. One- fifth indicated they noticed changes in their sleeping and eating patterns as well as feeling helpless because of the harassment. Implications and recommended strategies for health education and personal safety in the online environment are provided.
Highlights
IntroductionBased on previous published research, Cyber abuse is a broad term that includes various forms of computer-based online abuse including cyber bullying, stalking, sexual solicitation, and pornography [3].D’Ovidio and Doyle[4], defined cyber stalking as “repeated use of the internet, e-mail or other related digital electronic communication devices to annoy, alarm or threaten a specific individual or group of individuals.”
According to the U.S Department of Justice[1], approximately 12% of women have been stalked at some point in their lifetime and an estimated 20% of Americans have been affected by cyber stalking, persistent emails, or other unwanted contact
Research related to stalking and violence against women “off line” is well established; studies investigating cyber harassment are very limited[12,13,14].The researchers of this study found no existing literature on attitudes toward cyber harassment or other forms of cyber abuse
Summary
Based on previous published research, Cyber abuse is a broad term that includes various forms of computer-based online abuse including cyber bullying, stalking, sexual solicitation, and pornography [3].D’Ovidio and Doyle[4], defined cyber stalking as “repeated use of the internet, e-mail or other related digital electronic communication devices to annoy, alarm or threaten a specific individual or group of individuals.”. Cyber harassment has found to be linked closely with cyber stalking[7] It is more partner or Universal Journal of Public Health 3(5): 194-201, 2015 relationship focused that encompasses a range of activities such as sending abusive, threatening or obscene emails, text messages, posts on to social networking and blog sites, and phone calls[8,9]
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