Some 40% of adults have experienced online
harassment, according to a study from the US Pew Research Internet Project.
From name-calling to other threats, harassment is a
common part of online life for many, its research suggests.
While men are more likely to experience
name-calling, women are more vulnerable to sexual harassment and stalking.
The report comes amid a rise in social media abuse
aimed at women in the games industry.
The report found that 73% of American adult internet
users had witnessed online harassment - from being called offensive names to
witnessing someone being stalked online.
It found that young adults - aged 18-29 - are most
likely to experience online harassment, with 65% of internet users in this age
group claiming to have fallen victim.
The vast majority of harassment took place on social
networking sites, according to the research.
The report looked at six types of abuse:
- Offensive name-calling
- Attempts to purposefully embarrass
- Harassment for a sustained period of time
- Online threats to physically harm
- Online stalking
- Sexual harassment
"It was striking to see how different varieties
of harassment impacted different groups on different platforms, and the range
of reactions online harassment elicited," said report author Maeve Duggan.
Of those who had personally been harassed online,
the majority chose to ignore it, she found.
Young women are particularly vulnerable to sexual
harassment and stalking online, she told the BBC.
Her research also found that gaming platforms were
seen as the least welcoming to women, with 44% of people saying such forums
were more geared towards men.
Last month, more than 2,000 people signed an open
letter calling for an end to "hateful, harassing speech" on Twitter
and other social media, following death threats to feminist games reviewer
Anita Sarkeesian.
Her series on the portrayal of women in video games
led to what she described as "some very scary threats" which forced
her to leave her home.
Additional Research
Pew Research asked respondents about six different
forms of online harassment.
Those who witnessed harassment said they had seen
at least one of the following occur to others online:
- 60% of internet users said they had witnessed someone being called offensive names
- 53% had seen efforts to purposefully embarrass someone
- 25% had seen someone being physically threatened
- 24% witnessed someone being harassed for a sustained period of time
- 19% said they witnessed someone being sexually harassed
- 18% said they had seen someone be stalked
Those who have personally experienced online
harassment said they were the target of at least one of the following online:
- 27% of internet users have been called offensive names
- 22% have had someone try to purposefully embarrass them
- 8% have been physically threatened
- 8% have been stalked
- 7% have been harassed for a sustained period
- 6% have been sexually harassed
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