Journals Information
Universal Journal of Public Health Vol. 3(5), pp. 194 - 201
DOI: 10.13189/ujph.2015.030504
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Exploring Cyber Harrassment among Women Who Use Social Media
Sloane Burke Winkelman 1,*, Jody Oomen Early 2, Ashley D. Walker 3, Lawrence Chu 1, Alice Yick-Flanagan 4,5
1 Public Health Program, Department of Health Sciences, College of Health and Human Development, California State University Northridge, USA
2 School of Nursing and Health Studies, University of Washington Bothell, USA
3 Department of Community Health, School of Public Health, Georgia Southern University, USA
4 School of Social Work, Walden University, USA
5 College of Doctoral Studies, Grand Canyon University, USA
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.
KEYWORDS
Social Networking, Cyber Harassment, Cyber Abuse, Cyber Stalking, Sexual Harassment, Online
Cite This Paper in IEEE or APA Citation Styles
(a). IEEE Format:
[1] Sloane Burke Winkelman , Jody Oomen Early , Ashley D. Walker , Lawrence Chu , Alice Yick-Flanagan , "Exploring Cyber Harrassment among Women Who Use Social Media," Universal Journal of Public Health, Vol. 3, No. 5, pp. 194 - 201, 2015. DOI: 10.13189/ujph.2015.030504.
(b). APA Format:
Sloane Burke Winkelman , Jody Oomen Early , Ashley D. Walker , Lawrence Chu , Alice Yick-Flanagan (2015). Exploring Cyber Harrassment among Women Who Use Social Media. Universal Journal of Public Health, 3(5), 194 - 201. DOI: 10.13189/ujph.2015.030504.