Cyberstalking and Harassment on The Internet

548 Words2 Pages

The World Wide Web and Internet are great places to study, work, or even play. But there is an ugly side of cyberspace. Cyberspace reflects the real world and some people tend to forget that. Cyberstalking and harassment are problems that a large number of people (especially women) are realizing. (Jenson, 1996, p.1)

Just because an individual owns a computer and has an Internet account do not assume that person is considerate or respectful. There are just as many stalkers in cyberspace as anywhere else. It’s just that their methods have changed. Some stalkers might harass you by following you through live channels not being able to take no for an answer and bothering you with email messages. In some cases this harassment may become a systematic campaign against you; where your harasser bombards you with threatening messages of hate and obscenities. (1996, p.3) The stalker may even trace your home address and telephone number, causing not only emotional distress but possibly physical danger. It should come as no surprise to you that the stalkers are making use of this technology to harass people and prey on the innocent.

There have been many examples of cyberstalking crossing over in to real life stalking. And those users who have been victims of cyberstalking, tell a similar story, that no one took the harassment serious until it became real life stalking. Cyberstalking can be a devastating experience for a person online. But in cyberspace people say things like “well just turn off your computer” and “ you can’t be hurt on the Internet, it’s just words”. (Laughren, 1998, p.1) The online stalking is just as frightening and distressing as off-line stalking, and just as illegal.

Anyone can be stalked online, but statistics show that the majority of victims are women. Women are the minority of the internet population, which means their attention is generally fierce competition between male users. (Jenson, 1996, p.3) Cyberstalking and online harassment are easy to practice than real life stalking. In cyberspace, a stalker can harass their victim without ever having to leave the comfort of their own home, or have any witnesses to the crime.

Online users are vulnerable to stalking in the following three areas. Live chat rooms or IRC, this is the most common place for cyberstaking. Message boards and Newsgroups, and Email box; a user has the ability to write anything and even attach files to the email.

Show More
Related

  • Louisiana Cyberstalking Laws

    736 Words  | 2 Pages

    In conclusion we find that cyberstalking is one of the most dangerous forms of stalking. People who feel safer harming others from far away use this method the most, and like regular stalking it can cause serious damage.

    Read More

  • Intimate Partner Stalking

    2821 Words  | 6 Pages

    Stalking has been a label for a long-term pattern of persistent pursuit and intrusive behavior directed by one person toward another (Logan & Cole, 2007). It is a term that has been around since the late 1980’s coming about to describe the persistent pursuit of celebrities and today is used to describe all manner of unwanted following, approaching, and harassing behaviors directed toward any individual (Logan & Cole, 2007). Some of the most common forms of stalking are repeated phone calls, visiting home or the work place, sending unwanted gifts, emails, letters, or following the victim.

    Read More

  • Stalking: The Killing of Actress RebeccaShaeffer

    1006 Words  | 3 Pages

    “Stalking is conservatively defined as "a course of conduct directed at a specific person that involves repeated (two or more occasions) visual or physical proximity, nonconsensual communication, or verbal, written, or implied threats, or a combination thereof, that would cause a reasonable person fear." [1] Stalking behaviors also may include persistent patterns of leaving or sending the victim unwanted items or presents that may range from seemingly romantic to bizarre, following or laying in wait for the victim, damaging or threatening to damage the victim's property, defaming the victim's character, or harassing the victim via the Internet by posting personal information o...

    Read More

  • How The Internet Has Changed Bullying By Maria Konnikova

    1398 Words  | 3 Pages

    In her article “How the Internet Has Changed Bullying”, Maria Konnikova explained how bullying has reached technology, and in the workplaces of many adults. The Internet has made it harder to escape from bullying, and easier for bullies to escape from confronting their victims. Furthermore, the author stresses that cyberbullying not only targets high schoolers, but it’s affecting the lives of college students as well (Konnikova 1). Cyberbullying takes place in the Internet world where is easier for a bully to gossip and humiliate multiple of victims in a faster pace. The studies have shown that cyberbullying is making a greater impact in the victims’ and the bullies’ lives more than the traditional bullying and many people are not aware of it; therefore the schools, witnesses, and employers should work together to fight against cyberbullying and provide help to the victims and bullies.

    Read More

  • Bullying And Harassment Essay, By Dawn Turner Trice

    1744 Words  | 4 Pages

    It is also when individuals use technology to spread rumor about another person to defame or humiliate them. Cyber harassment came about with the increase technological advancements and also the birth of social media has contributed to it as well. In the online article, Students Warn Peers about Cyber Bullying by Dawn Turner Trice. Trice writes about a 17 year old high school student by the name of Tiffany Witkowski who quit Facebook after getting cyberbullied. Tiffany tells Ms. Trice that, "They would go to my boyfriend 's page, and the next day at school, people would say, 'Oh, you and your boyfriend saw whatever movie or did whatever, I never felt physically threatened. But I felt emotionally threatened. I had just recently moved from Arizona. I had a family tragedy, and I said, 'Why is this happening to me? ' I needed emotional stability, so I just got rid of Facebook." Social media sites like Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook are useful for getting in touch with lost friends and family, but, it still has it negatives such as Cyber bullying, sexual predators, and so many other

    Read More

  • Exploring Federalism: State vs. Federal Power

    1313 Words  | 3 Pages

    However, one of the many negative effects of this growing technology is cyberstalking. Cyberstalking is a form of harassment that happens over email and other social networks. Naomi Harlin Goodno acritical, “Cyberstalking, a New Crime: Evaluating the Effectiveness of Current State and Federal Laws,” touches on cyberstalking and briefly on offline stalking. While a new crime cyberstalking and offline stalking has become a massive problem as stated by Goodno, “Legislatures recognized the need to stop stalkers before the stalking developed "into a more serious threat to a victim 's personal safety." Cyberstalking might even be worse than regular stalking because the harassment never stopes and in most cases it might even provoke a third party harassment. An example of this, is the case of a twenty-eight-year-old women being harassed by a fifty-year old man, whom used various internet chat rooms to impersonate her and giving out her personal information stating that she allegedly fantasized of being raped; thus leading to different occasions where different men knocked on her door saying they wanted to rape her (Goodno). According to Goodno, “…the Internet makes many of the frightening characteristics of offline stalking even more intense. It provides cyberstalkers with twenty-four-hour access, instantaneous connection, efficient and repetitious action, and anonymity.” Due to differences on cyberstalking and offline stalking it makes current laws somewhat inadequate to deal with the different aspects of cyberstalking

    Read More

  • Stalking

    528 Words  | 2 Pages

    Based on a study done by Schwartz-Watts and Morgan at the American Academy of Psychology Law, they found that stalking was far more prevalent than anyone had imagined: 8% of American women and 2% of American men will be stalked in their lifetimes. That’s 1.4 million American stalking victims every year.

    Read More

  • Stalking

    627 Words  | 2 Pages

    The first issue to discuss is determining the motive of the stalker. There is not one type of stalker; this is reflected by the numerous categories created pertaining to a stalker’s motive. Typologies have been created to illustrate these varying types of stalkers. One typology, developed by Zona, Palarea and Lane (1998), used information gathered from ...

    Read More

  • Social Media Informative Speech

    771 Words  | 2 Pages

    Being involved socially online can open many doors to hackers and scammers. Posting too much information online can be a way for scammers to steal information.

    Read More

  • Cyberbullying Argumentative Essay

    753 Words  | 2 Pages

    All around the United States, the prevalence of cyberbullying ranges from 10-40% of people who get bullied through electronics. Furthermore, this is a problem caused by kids, teens, and adults who target one another online by repeating harmful threats and harassments. This conflict negatively impacts the victims’ life which is why anyone who cyberbullies should pay the consequences and be prosecuted.

    Read More

  • Bullying Literature Review

    1237 Words  | 3 Pages

    Because cyberbullying is a relatively new phenomenon, there is some degree of variance in its definition. In its early inception, cyberbullying was thought to be limited to the internet. However, the rapid creation of new technology tolls has expanded the boundaries to include cell phones, instant messaging, chat rooms, and email (Campfield, 2006). Campfield (2006) conducted a study of middle school students to determine the incidence rates of cyberbullying. She found that nearly 70% of students were involved in cyberbullying in some capacity, as a bully or victim. In a similar study, Li (2007) found that 39% of students have been involved in cyberbullying, while 52% were aware of a peer being harassed through electronic m...

    Read More

  • The Pros and Cons of the Internet

    1286 Words  | 3 Pages

    According to Wikipedia.com cyberstalking is the act of stalking someone via the means of electronic devices. This incudes online threatening and or harassing behaviour that an individual engages in repeatedly. This is in most cases potentially dangerous only if someone manages to get a hold of your email address otherwise this form of harassment isn't really that much of a problem . If someone is harassing you in a chat room simply leave. I don't believe this crime is a big problem amongst us today. Although some people may be left in uncomfortable situations and in a worried state of mind that this person may eventually catch up with you in the long run.

    Read More

  • Internet Essay - Online Anonymity and Cyberspace Crime

    2068 Words  | 5 Pages

    The 90's internet boom gave rise to new ways of writing in through access to cyberspace. What used to be printed or handwritten on physical surfaces such as paper, cardboard, or bulletin boards has changed to 0's and 1's, bits and bytes of digitized information that can be displayed thru the projections of computer screens. Moreover, the internet has made the process of publishing one's works, writing letters, or chatting with one another much easier and convenient for everyone around the globe. The internet became a universal tool, giving much freedom and flexibility to the users; it gave them opportunity to deliver their thoughts with little or no restrictions. Since it's impossible to regulate all cyber-activities, internet users are often unrestricted by the normal laws or authorities that would set boundaries around the various online transactions. More importantly, the fact that a net user can take on different identities in cyberspace brings about several ethical and social issues. These anonymous and unrestrictive characteristics of cyberspace often permite abusive users to easily involve themselves in serious cybercrimes such as cyberstalking, cyber-rape, and cyber-harassment through chatting services, emails, cyber communities, and other online communication.

    Read More

  • Cyber Bullying And Cyber Crime

    861 Words  | 2 Pages

    With the development in technology cyber bullying and cyber crimes became a serious issue. Cyber bullying is terms as the use of electronic means of communication so as to bully an individual and most typically it occurs when one sends messages that are threatening or of an intimidating nature (Florence, 2014). Cyber crime on the other hand refers to crime that involves a network and a computer and in regard to this the computer or network may be the target (Study.com, n.d). Cyber bullying and cyber crimes are well known problem in the world but they aren’t noticed like bullying and crimes but they can be harmful and serious.

    Read More

  • The Use and Dangers of Social Media

    1519 Words  | 4 Pages

    Posting personal information can also make it easier to be stalked. To stalk means to pursue by tracking. The study from Women's Aid and the Network to Survive Stalking, warns that Smartphones are being targete...

    Read More

More about Cyberstalking and Harassment on The Internet

Open Document