Social Science Principles

This study from the International Journal of Cybersecurity Intelligence and Cybercrime relates to social science principles with references in psychology, sociology, political science, and criminology. This study will contribute to society through attempts to make the Metaverse a safer place by serving as a guideline for future frameworks to protect Metaverse users and allowing those victimized to get psychological help. 

Research Questions

 The article explains the issue with the Metaverse and its victimization of vulnerable users through interpersonal cybercrime. The article also delves into the driving factors that compel criminals to carry out these crimes (psychology), who the marginalized victims are (sociology), and what policies and frameworks can be applied to reduce the chance of victimization (political science). Additionally, the research attempts to provide a mitigation framework and ways to support the victims of cybercrime on the Metaverse. ­

Research Methods and Data Analysis

 The methods used in this study were applied as interviews, known as thematic analysis, with Metaverse experts from various professions in South Korea. A thematic analysis is conducted to discover knowledge, opinions, and experiences from interviews or texts. The data from the thematic analysis from the professionals were analyzed in four main ways: Literature on policy solutions, technical solutions, awareness solutions, and legal solutions. 

Relations to CYSE201S

In large, this article relates to the PowerPoint from module 4, where the class discussed the psychological factors that increase the risk of victimization. The article also describes the class lessons from module 5, where it is discussed, that cybercriminals facilitate crimes from motivational factors, such as entertainment, money, and recognition. It is mentioned that individuals in the article who are older are less likely to commit crimes, which is a concept from Reinforcement Sensitivity Theory (RST). Lastly, it relates to class by applying social sciences (psychology, criminology, etc.) to a technological problem, which social sciences are discussed in module 1. 

Challenges Discussed

 This research article discussed the difficulties of preventing the victimization of marginalized individuals on the Metaverse. People are marginalized in the Metaverse because they are elderly/young, women, or high-profile people. This primarily happens because women are susceptible to Deep-fake, high-profile people often add financial gain as a motive, and the elderly/young often are incompetent to their cyber-vulnerabilities. The article also explains the political problems with the Metaverse because it is new, so there aren’t very many laws regulating its usage. 

Conclusion

 This research article attempts to make the Metaverse safer for marginalized people. Through thematic analysis and borrowing principles from social sciences, qualitative data is obtained to apply future frameworks in the Metaverse.