An Exploratory Study on the Concept and the Form of Stalking as a Cyber Crime

Social networking technology provides a collaborative and interactive platform for Internet users to socialize. Users are more open to expressing their thoughts and sharing information, increasing internet violations in the process. Cyber stalking is a violation faced by internet users. Cyber stalking is a real stalk evolution. It is like stalking others through communication technology. Some overt methods of cyber stalking and digital harassment include "attacks" by unwelcome friends requesting or sending messages, spam, and the transmission of viruses. Behaviors such as sending abusive, threatening, or obscene emails to the victim or the victim's family are likely to be further exacerbated. According to a survey those who uses the Internet for more than three hours a day, they were vulnerable to online stalking. Additionally, those who used the Internet for more than five hours a day were faced with cyber stalking. 50% of these cases are not even reported to the police. This cyber stalking has a great psychosocial impact on individuals. Victims report many serious consequences, including increased suicidal thoughts, fear, anger, depression, and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms. Faced with this phenomenon, they devised strategies such as family-friendly and asking for help from trusted friends. The positive effect of cyber stalking exposure is that they tend to be careful and cautious about sharing personal information through social networking sites, depending on whether they are online or not. In order to assess these social issues, we need to look at various aspects of cyber stalking.