Italian adolescents’ experience of unwanted online attentions: Recognizing and defining behaviours
| Published date | 01 September 2020 |
| Date | 01 September 2020 |
| Author | Laura De Fazio,Chiara Sgarbi,Amanda Krause |
| DOI | 10.1177/1477370818819689 |
| Subject Matter | Articles |
https://doi.org/10.1177/1477370818819689
European Journal of Criminology
2020, Vol. 17(5) 647 –660
© The Author(s) 2018
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DOI: 10.1177/1477370818819689
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Italian adolescents’
experience of unwanted
online attentions:
Recognizing and defining
behaviours
Laura De Fazio
University of Modena and Reggio Emilia, Italy
Amanda Krause
University of Melbourne, Australia
Chiara Sgarbi
University of Modena and Reggio Emilia, Italy
Abstract
For young people, in addition to positive experiences, there are risks and negative consequences
in the usage of the Internet and Information and Communication Technologies (ICT), such as
forms of online harassment. At present, there is an open debate regarding the definition and
issues concerning the nature of cyberspace, given the different ways that the scientific community
and the general public express this phenomenon (for example, cyber-bullying, cyber-aggression,
cyber-harassment). The present research surveyed 585 Italian students via an online questionnaire
regarding unwanted online attentions (UOA), an umbrella category of online behaviours directed
at harassing, offending or attacking someone. Two exploratory factor analyses examined the
experiences of self-identified victims and perpetrators in order to better describe and identify
UOA. The findings identify six dimensions, namely, for the victims: harassment, impersonation,
denigration and ordering goods, physical threats, hacking, and disseminating private information
and audio-video material without permission; and, for the perpetrators: disseminating private
information and material without permission, physical and social threats, hacking and stealing
identity, harassment, denigration and ordering goods, unwanted emails and spying, and
impersonation – thus illuminating more specific categories of UOA. These findings will make it
Corresponding author:
Laura De Fazio, Department of Law, University of Modena and Reggio Emilia, Via San Geminiano 3, 41121
Modena, Italy.
Email: defazio.laura@unimore.it
819689EUC0010.1177/1477370818819689European Journal of CriminologyDe Fazio et al.
research-article2018
Article
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