An Exploratory Analysis of Computer Mediated Communications on Cyberstalking Severity

The interaction between disjunctive interpersonal relationships, those where the parties to the relationship disagree on the goals of the relationship, and the use of computer mediated communications channels is a relatively unexplored domain. Bargh (2002) suggests that CMC channels can amplify the development of interpersonal relationships, and notes that the effect is not constant across communications activities. This proposal suggests a line of research that explores the interaction between computer mediated communications (CMC) and stalking, which is a common form of disjunctive relationships. Field data from cyberstalking cases will be used to look at the effects of CMC channels on stalking case severity, and exploring the relative impacts of CMC channel characteristics on such cases. To accomplish this, a ratio scaled measure of stalking case severity is proposed for use in exploring the relationship between case severity and CMC media characteristics, anonymity, and the prior relationship between the stalker and the victim. Expected results are identified, and follow-up research is proposed

An Exploratory Analysis of Computer Mediated Communications on Cyberstalking Severity

The interaction between disjunctive interpersonal relationships, those where the parties to the relationship disagree on the goals of the relationship, and the use of computer mediated communications channels is a relatively unexplored domain. Bargh (2002) suggests that CMC channels can amplify the development of interpersonal relationships, and notes that the effect is not constant across communications activities. This proposal suggests a line of research that explores the interaction between computer mediated communications (CMC) and stalking, which is a common form of disjunctive relationships. Field data from cyberstalking cases will be used to look at the effects of CMC channels on stalking case severity, and exploring the relative impacts of CMC channel characteristics on such cases. To accomplish this, a ratio scaled measure of stalking case severity is proposed for use in exploring the relationship between case severity and CMC media characteristics, anonymity, and the prior relationship between the stalker and the victim. Expected results are identified, and follow-up research is proposed

Impact of Computer Mediated Communications on Stalking Severity: an Exploratory Analysis of Cyberstalking Field Data

The interaction between disjunctive interpersonal relationships, those where the parties disagree on the goals of the relationship, and the use of computer mediated communications (CMC) channels is a relatively unexplored domain. Bargh (2002) suggests that use of CMC channels can amplify the development of interpersonal relationships, and notes that the effect is not constant across communication activities. This dissertation reports on a line of research that explores the interaction between CMC and stalking, a common form of disjunctive relationship. CMC channels can be characterized by their richness, interactivity, and distribution (Te'eni 2001). Field data from cyberstalking cases is used to examine the effects of CMC channels on stalking case severity, and to explore the relative impacts of CMC channel characteristics on such cases. To accomplish this, a ratio-scaled measure of stalking case severity is developed for exploring the relationship between case severity and CMC media characteristics. This includes levels of anonymity, as well as the prior relationship between the stalker and the victim. Results show that channel richness and the nature of the prior relationship dominate the impact on cyberstalking case severity, while channel interactivity, distribution, and harasser anonymity do not affect case severity. In conclusion, this analysis of cyberstalking data provides support for Te'eni's (2001) CAMOC model and its interpretation of media richness theory. Further, the analysis provides evidence that disjunctive online relationships are different from disjunctive offline relationships only when intimacy is involved. Follow-up research is proposed along with suggestions for the development of an improved measure of case severity.Department of Management Science & Information Systems (PhD

The volume and source of cyberabuse influences victim blame and perceptions of attractiveness

Cyberabuse is an escalating problem in society, as opportunities for abuse to occur in online public domains increase. Such acts are often defined by the frequency of abuse, and in many cases multiple individuals play a part in the abuse. Although consequences of such acts are often severe, there is typically little public sympathy/support for victims. To better understand perceptions of victims of abusive online acts, we manipulated the Volume (low, high) and Source (same-source, multi-source) of abusive posts in artificially-manipulated Facebook timelines of four fictitious ‘victims’. One hundred and sixty-four participants [United Kingdom-based; aged 18–59] rated ‘victims’ on measures of direct victim blame (DVB) and perceived social-, physical- and task-attractiveness. Results revealed significant Volume × Source interactions on DVB and social-attractiveness ratings. Few abusive posts authored by a single source yielded higher DVB and lower social-attractiveness ratings. Strong correlations between attractiveness and DVB were observed. We propose that our results could be due to an observer desensitization effect, or that participants interpreted the posts as indicative of friendly ‘teasing’ or ‘banter’ within an established social relationship, helping to explain why victims of online abuse often receive little sympathy or support

BLOGS: ANTI-FORENSICS and COUNTER ANTI-FORENSICS

Blogging gives an ordinary person the ability to have a conversation with a wide audience and has become one of the fastest growing uses of the Web. However, dozens of employee-bloggers have been terminated for exercising what they consider to be their First Amendment right to free speech and would-be consumer advocates face potential liability for voicing their opinions. To avoid identification and prevent retribution, bloggers have sought to maintain anonymity by taking advantage of various tools and procedures - anti-forensics. Unfortunately some anonymous bloggers also post content that is in violation of one or more laws. Some blogging content might be viewed as harassing others - an area known as cyber-bullying. Law enforcement and network forensics specialists are developing procedures called Counter Anti-forensics that show some promise to identify those who violate the law. However, these techniques must be used with caution so as not to violate the rights of others

A Psychosocial Behavioral Attribution Model: Examining the Relationship Between the “Dark Triad” and Cyber-Criminal Behaviors Impacting Social Networking Sites

This study proposes that individual personality characteristics and behavioral triggering effects come together to motivate online victimization. It draws from psychology’s current understanding of personality traits, attribution theory, and criminological research. This study combines the current computer deviancy and hacker taxonomies with that of the Dark Triad model of personality mapping. Each computer deviant behavior is identified by its distinct dimensions of cyber-criminal behavior (e.g., unethical hacking, cyberbullying, cyberstalking, and identity theft) and analyzed against the Dark Triad personality factors (i.e., narcissism, Machiavellianism, and psychopathy). The goal of this study is to explore whether there are significant relationships among the Dark Triad personality traits and specific cyber-criminal behaviors within social network sites (SNSs). The study targets offensive security engineers and computer deviants from specific hacker conferences and from websites that discuss or promote computer deviant behavior (e.g., hacking). Additional sampling is taken from a general population of SNS users. Using a snowball sampling method, 235 subjects completed an anonymous, self-report survey that includes items measuring computer deviance, personality traits, and demographics. Results yield that there was no significant relationship between Dark Triad and cyber-criminal behaviors defined in the perceived hypotheses. The final chapter of the study summarizes the results and discusses the mechanisms potentially underlying the findings. In the context of achieving the latter objective, exploratory analyses are incorporated and partly relied upon. It also includes a discussion concerning the implications of the findings in terms of providing theoretical insights on the Dark Triad traits and cyber-criminal behaviors more generally

Celebrity abuse on Twitter: the impact of tweet valence, volume of abuse, and dark triad personality factors on victim blaming and perceptions of severity

Celebrities are increasingly utilizing social media platforms to establish their brand and interact with their fan base, but in doing so they often become the targets of online abuse. While such abusive acts are known to cause severe consequences in the general population little is known about how celebrity abuse is perceived by observers. This study investigated observers' impressions of the severity of online abuse on Twitter, the blame attributed to celebrities for the abuse they received, and the role of the dark triad of observers' personality factors (Machiavellianism, narcissism, and psychopathy) in these decisions. We manipulated celebrity tweet content (negative, neutral, positive) and the volume of abusive comments (high, low) the tweets received. Celebrities received more blame the more negative their initial tweet was, and incidents were perceived as least severe following a negative tweet with a high volume of abuse. Observer impressions were influenced by their dark triad personality factors. Following negative tweets, as observer narcissism increased, victim blame increased and perceived severity decreased. Following positive tweets, as observer psychopathy increased, perceived severity decreased. Results are discussed in the context of the Warranting Theory of online impression formation and the ramifications for celebrity social media use are explored