The Internet is a constantly changing medium that allows for communication of virtually all corners or the world, and makes access to any information nearly effortless. Without the Internet, we would not recognize our society. The Internet is a great tool that is in play in nearly every facet of our modern day lives. Unfortunately, there are those that use this tool for a more sinister purpose. Cyber stalking is one negative consequence of the increased presence of the Internet and social networking sites. There is little research on cyber stalking because it is a relatively recent phenomenon, so the objective of this website is to compile some of the existing literature into one source.
Cyber stalking is a fairly vague term coined to characterize harassment via the Internet. Reyns, Henson, and Fisher (2012) define cyber stalking as the repetitive use of Internet capable devices or other electronics to harass an individual with threatening or sexual messages. This definition obviously covers a huge range of possibilities, some of which include; Facebook stalking, a slang term developed to describe what one does when one scans or monitors a target’s Facebook activity (Lyndon, Bonds-Raacke, & Cratty, 2011). Cyber stalking in the private dimension, which includes the use of email, computer viruses, phone calls, etc. (Roberts, 2008). And cyber stalking in the public domain, which is the posting of false information or pictures so that others can see (Roberts, 2008). Some of those online behaviors are inconsequential in nature and are not necessarily a cause for alarm; for example, many young adults engage in stalking behavior, however, their behaviors are not severe enough to cause fear in a victim (Lyndon et al, 2011).
The prevalence of cyber stalking is difficult to determine because it lacks a clear definition. Research studies use various definitions of the term, so the results are rarely generalizable. One study reported that approximately half to a third of college students who were stalked had their email as the primary method of contact (Roberts, 2008). Another study found that out of 696 stalking incidents of college women, only 24.7% involved email (Alexy, Burgess, Baker, & Smoyak, 2005). A review of official police records of stalking crimes that involved some sort of electronic medium from the Computer Investigation and Technology Unit of the New York City Police Department found that 43% of those crimes could have been considered cyber stalking, the victims tended to be women with an average age was 32, and that most perpetrators were men with their average age being 24 (Alexy et al, 2005). 67% of Facebook users report contacting their ex partners in a sly manner that was not necessarily damaging or threatening (e.g. an indirect status update that is designed to upset a specific person, but means nothing out of context), but about 18% reported attempts to publicly harass ex partners through Facebook (Lyndon et al 2011). It’s clear that cyber stalking is a significant problem that makes up a large portion of all stalking behavior. However, the extent of the problem cannot be determined until a more universal definition is established by researchers and law officials. With luck, the coming years will identify more factors of cyber stalking and we can sharpen our tools so that cyber stalking is more obvious and preventable.
This website will examine the similarities and differences of cyber stalking and more traditional stalking behaviors; if the two types of stalking behavior manifest similarly, perhaps they can be stopped in the same way. It will also look at the way that social networking sites, such as Facebook, Myspace, LinkedIn, Instagram, etc. facilitate cyber stalking. Psychological aspects that might compel one to engage in cyber stalking will be discussed so that one could possibly identify possible perpetrators. The effects cyber stalking has on victims will be addressed so that one might be able to identify victims and encourage them to seek help.