In the world today, there are many forms and ways that one person may harass or stalk another. Unfortunately, it has become an inescapable part of society that seems to only grow as innovations do as well. Apparently, the standard – peeping tom or stranger watching from your window – stalker is not the only brand of crazy that lurks behind closed doors. Cyberstalking is the new trend and it has become a very popular form of harassment and stalking. In fact, cyberstalking has become so popular, it has become the most “conventional” form of stalking, thus it’s rise in popularity.
One reason as to why cyberstalking is more commonplace than physical stalking is because the anonymity of the internet is what appeals to many people and unfortunately, stalkers as well. Online, stalkers may appear as whomever they want. They may use a profile that differentiates from who they truly are, thus not only fooling, but possibly luring in their victims. A second reason the anonymousness of social media may be alluring to a cyber stalker is because the communication of
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Working in the favor of all cyber stalkers, the internet allows a person to be anywhere in the world and talk to someone else three times or more the distance from where they themselves are standing. All a person needs is some Wi-Fi and either a cell phone or a computer and the stalking may begin. The physical stalking of a victim requires the offender to be present for every aspect of said victim’s day and night. However, cyberstalking in today’s world also has access for the endless supply of social media history and other personal information that can easily be found. Cyber stalking is a fairly easy workload for a predator because all he or she has to do is scroll on their phone, click add, hit send – the harassment sent and the predator is still in his/her pajamas half way across the
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.
“Stalking” is a term used to describe harassment or contact that is unwanted and repeated. 1 in 6 women and 1 in 19 men have been stalked in their lives (Stalking statistics, 2014). This is a very serious crime that is often overlooked due to embarrassment or underestimating the severity of it. However, stalking can become violent very quickly. Some only threaten their victims and never go any further (stalking,2014), but other cases can become quite severe.
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.
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.
Violated. Trapped. Afraid. These are the feelings of young victims of cyber bullying. Bullying has metamorphosed into so much more than face-to-face interactions. Now, children cannot escape the torture when they leave social situations. The torment follows them home and has transformed into words laced with hatred and animosity. Behind computer screens, the oppressors may remain anonymous, creating fear of the unknown. Unnamed and unidentified, these online bullies can instill terror in the hearts of those being harassed. These types of bullies, via the Internet, tyrannize children that choose to remain indifferent, children who do not have the desire or will to fight back against them. These children that suffer severe bullying not only have to deal with a cruel social hierarchy in public, but now they are assaulted over any type of online media in the comfort of their own home. The Internet allows anonymity, and has led to a brutal breeding ground for cyber bullies to attack whomever they choose. With the increasing dependence and use of technology all over the world, cyber bullying is becoming a more important issue than it ever was before.
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 ...
Cyber bullying can be more terrifying than standard bullying, because the target typically does not know who is after them. Cyber bullies believe that because they are posting anonymously or not using their names, they can get away with anything. The case is that Internet activity is traceable. It is important to know that cyber bullying can be charged as crimes. In some cases, cyber bullies will be charged as sexual predators and have to be on the registry. Furthermore, items posted on the Internet can affect the person’s ability to get into university or employment.
The world would be a better place without you, you should go kill yourself. People often forget that there is somebody else behind the screen on the other side. The twenty-first century led to the development of several innovations, most notably the internet and social media. Despite its numerous benefits, people’s reliance on social media has spawned a new and dangerous concept called cyberbullying. Whether it is spreading rumours or sharing an inappropriate image of someone over the internet, cyberbullying is evident in this newly technology driven world. It is especially worrying when fifty percent of adolescents experience cyberbullying sometime during their lives and ten to twenty percent experience it on a regular basis
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.
In Sarah Nichol’s article “Cyber-Bullying and Trolling”, a view is expressed that social media does not cause bullying. According to Karyn Krawford, online anonymity has little to do with making bullies since most victims already know their attacker. In addition, often in real life, bullies and victims play the same role. As director of Cyborg Australia and expert on cyber psychology, Krawford has st...
Violence against women is not always physical. With the continuing advancements in technology, cyber stalking is an increasing way for predators to attack women. “Cyber stalking is the use of the Internet or other electronic means to stalk someone which may be a computer crime or harassment.” The anonymity of interacting with someone online makes it very easy to stalk someone without even leaving home. Cyber stalkers have a sense of security that since they are not seen, they will not be identified. It is estimated that over 75% of victims are women. This estimated figure is lower than the actual number because a large majority of cyber stalking goes unreported.
Stutzky suggests that cyber bullying is the use of modern communication technologies to embarrass, humiliate, threaten, or intimidate an individual in the attempt to gain power and control over them. Bullying has been around since the beginning of time. These days however, bullying isn’t just happening on the playground, it’s happening on the internet and mobile phones, making it possible to bully a child 24 hours a day. Cyber bullying follows children around the clock and into the safety of their own bedrooms. A recent survey by MindOh!, an educational company that follows youth trends, reported that nearly 80% of the 5,500 teens that were surveyed said that they had been exposed to cyber bullying. Cyber bullying affects the mental health of so many young adolescents around the world, and the issue is steadily increasing as more and more ways to bully are created.In extreme incidents, cyber bullying has led teenagers to suicide. Most victims, however, suffer shame, embarrassment, anger, depression and withdrawal. While technology continues to evolve, new means of communication enable today’s bullies to become more effective in terrorizing and tormenting their victims. The aim was to increase awareness and decrease the prevalence of cyber bullying- Year 9 at Meridan State College being the stakeholders (people involved).
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.
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.
The online bully’s goal is to make their target feel weak; these online bullies can be referred to as a cyber bully. Cyber bullying is the exercise of using technology to embarrass, threaten, harass, or target another person; according to its definition it occurs among young people (New, 4). It is usually performed by a child’s peers and surprisingly occurs early as the second grade (Jacobs 1). Cyber bullying can even be unintentional, especially through the use of emails, IMs, and text messages because the tone of the sender may be hard to depict. However, recurring emails, online posts, and texts are hardly ever unintentional (124). As the number of youths increase that have the availability to technology, cyber bullying is likely to continue to rise and continue to take its toll on youth. Due to its excessive effect that it has on children today, Cyber bullying should be taken more seriously.