The Impact Of Cyberstalking with Emma Short

During our last lecture we had speaker Emma Short in to talk to us about the impact of cyber stalking. The lecture was both eye opening and quite scary; during this Blog post I will explain and develop the points Emma made. I also will use the statistics Emma gave us to inform readers on the large number of myths that originate from cyber stalking and will attempt to put the rumours behind us all!

“Stalking behaviour” is a form of unwanted intrusions to such an extent that the recipient fears for their safety. These actions could be both online, through persistent behaviour such as continuous emails or comments or the original form of stalking, actions in person. Ultimately, Cyber stalkers are obsessive and show this through their actions. Online cyber stalking is an old problem through a new medium. Emma described stalking itself as an “old age problem” and further described the types of the attack as “identity theft and, or the posting of false profiles”. It became clear through the detailed analysis of a stalker and their behaviour that you do not have to have direct contact; the events merely could just be threats. Similarly, the transferring of an attack to the victim’s relatives or provoking others to attack the victims can both be considered further stalkish behaviour.  

A common example of cyber bullying occurs daily on the social network site Facebook. Through studies on this specific form of abuse, answers indicated that people tend to feel “anonymous” and “confident” behind the computer screen. Regardless, of the fact they can still be traced and identified. It is commonly known that is today’s society people tend to miss represent themselves online, Emma further explained that it is easily done for those with a naïve outset. 58% of people have been contacted by people who claim they are of a different identity, but it is in fact the same person.

Rumours are often spread about stalkers and how to deal with their obsessive behaviour. Emma took time to identify to us what common comments and answers are in fact myths. It is directly a myth that cyber stalking affects only a small age group, it has been statistically proven that it affects between 14 and 64 year olds! After strongly emphasising on this point, it became clear to me that it is over an extremely large age group and can not be avoided nor should it be ignored by those of a professional service (I.e. the police).  It also is a myth that you can not catch cyber stalkers, through the power of the internet; we are able to identity who is delivering the information. Again, the common myth is that if you confront a stalker, they will ultimately stop. There is no evidence to suggest this is true, if anything it could encourage their behaviour.

The most important rumour that is often spread regarding the impact of cyber stalking is that there “isn’t a significant impact of the victim from cyber stalking.” This couldn’t be more untrue if it formally tried!! The impact cyber stalking has on females is just the same as males. The abuse is cross gender. Genders ultimately fear different things; it is commonly known that women fear physical injury more than men, but both are directly harmed through the actions of a stalker.

The impact cyber stalking has on the victim noticeably is colossal. People are known to suffer from the post-traumatic stress disorder after unloading the abuse directly. Emma suggested that similarly the treatment for one that has suffered from cyber stalking is minimal. Victims often show a case of hyper active behaviour as well as most commonly an emotional shut down. With all these illness affecting someone, there is chance that suicide could be an option for the victim who has been affected directly, continuously over a long period of time. 50% of people who have been cyber stalked catastrophically fit the suicide category.

The statistics and information delivered from Emma regarding the impact and actions proceeded through cyber stalking are both shocking and outrageous. It seems unbelievable that such a despicable event occurs prominently in every day life, with no means to an end. Cyber stalking is very much influenced through the popularity of the internet, so for the future, minimising cyber stalking seems virtually impossible. As technology grows, it seems so will cyber stalking.