Article Review 2 (03/24/2024)
Journal of Cybersecurity Intelligence & Cybercrime & Its Relation to Social
Sciences
Introduction
The International Journal of Cybersecurity Intelligence & Cybercrime third article in volume 7
(issue 1) is entitled Cyberbullying During COVID-19 Pandemic: Relation to Perceived Social
Isolation Among College and University Students. The global pandemic was officially declared
on March 11, 2020, by the World Health Organization. The virus caused disease led to society
leading their lives at home for safety. Activities that were usually carried out within the physical
presence of many (i.e. school, work, religious fellowships, etc.) were now occurring at home
with family. The use of technology increased as many continued communications as possible
with those outside of the home.
Questions and Hypotheses
Scholars began to develop some questions based on the change of social life brought by
the pandemic. Would the increased use of technology result in the increased use of social
media for communication and to maintain social habits? Has this possible increase of social
media use led to the increase of cybercrime in the form of cyberbullying? Do these results vary
from grade school citizens to college and university students? The article presents one of the
first studies done to answer these questions and its results. Three different hypotheses were
formulated: (1) cyberbullying victimization increased during the pandemic, (2) “there is a
positive association between social media usage and cyberbullying victimization both before
and during the COVID-19 pandemic (IJOCIC),” and, (3) “there is a positive association between
perceived social isolation and cyberbullying victimization both before and during the COVID-19
pandemic (IJOCIC).”
Relation to Social Science
The first social science principle that can be directly related to this study is of the impact of fake
news as regards to strained social relationships, social bots, and its consequences. Initially over
3,500 surveys were received with data to be analyzed for the study. Only 331 responses
survived to be considered in the final sample, however, to account for both bots and possibly
biased replies. There was the preferred opinion that cyberbullying victimization had increased
during the COVID-19 pandemic before the study, but the results proved this untrue. Another
topic that can be related to the research is that of civic duty. Civic duty is the responsibility of
citizens, in exchange for the benefits they receive from being a part of society. This is related to
this study of the possible increase of cyberbullying during the COVID-19 pandemic because
once the questions were asked, it was the responsibility of citizens to find out the truth.
Communications and its possible positive or negative effects since its digitalization is the overall
topic here that is being discussed. While communication has become easier and quicker since
the implementation of technology, it is true that certain crimes have become easier with the
use of communication technology (i.e. Phishing, scamming, social engineering, etc.). The types
of communication used have increased what can be considered as cyberbullying. Professionals
conducting studies must have efficient critical thinking skills, communication skills, writing skills,
problem solving skills, as well as display teamwork to answer questions and provide truth to the
public.
The Study & Its Results
The analyzation of data received from surveys is the method used to conduct this study. The
dependent variable was the measurement of cyberbullying victimization during the pandemic
using a scale presented on the survey. Independent variables were experiences of cyberbullying
before the pandemic, frequency of social media use before it, and perceived isolation levels.
The focus group consisted of males and females ages ranging from 18 to 55 years old (students
and non-students). “Bivariate statistics were used to explore to differences between
victimization experiences before and during the pandemic,” and, “simple linear regression and
multiple linear regression models were estimated (IJOCIC);” are the strategies of how data was
analyzed.
The results of the study proved the first hypotheses to be incorrect. It was shown that there
was no increase in cyberbullying victimization during the pandemic; rather, there was a
decrease despite the increase of social media use within the study’s sample. Yes, it was proved
that there was an increase of social media use. The article claims that this proves that feelings
of loneliness had increased, resulting in the increased use of social media in attempts by
citizens to facility social relations. Data also presented the positive perception had by users of
social media on its effects, as according to them, it assisted in their being able to communicate
and staying in touch with their social circles.
Conclusion
One of the main contributions of the study to society was the representation of data from
citizens of varying ages on the level of usage and impact of social media before and during the
COVID-19 pandemic. This study performed was one of the first of its time, allowing for insight
that was previously not available. It debunked assumptions about the pandemic’s negative
effects regarding cyberbullying victimization and added truth and value to those inquisitive of
the topic.
Citations:
Neuhaeusler, N. S. (2024). Cyberbullying during COVID-19 pandemic: Relation to perceived
social isolation among college and university students . International Journal of Cybersecurity
Intelligence & Cybercrime, 7(1), – . DOI: https://doi.org/10.52306/2578-3289.1140 Available at:
https://vc.bridgew.edu/ijcic/vol7/iss1/3 Copyright © 2024 Nadya Stefani Neuhaeusler
Diwakar, Y. (2024, January 1). Culture, Social media, & Cybersecurity [PowerPoint]
Diwaker, Y. (2024, January 1). Social Cybersecurity [PowerPoint]
Article Review 1 (02/11/2024)
The site I chose to source my scholarly article from is the International Journal of Cyber Criminology. The article is called Discrimination and Cyberbullying against Women in Iraq: Exploring Social Media and Perceived Norms originating from many authors and researchers originating from different colleges and Universities in Iraq. This article review will be formatted accurately following the rubric to help its author write it as adequately as possible and to be easily understood by the reader. The topic of the article concerns the challenges women in Iraq face upon the usage and interactions had on social media, and discussing what changes should be made to face these concerns. Another concern address is the affect that cyberbullying, and discrimination has had on these women.
To be discussed first are the different principles of social science the article relates to. Sociology is one social science related to this topic. Sociology is the study of life, social behaviors, and social institutions. The personal experience and social life of women in Iraq is directly impacted by the expectations held of them by society and culture. Political science is also related to the article, as its writers as well as participants of the study all provide proof that the creation and implementation of laws that will protect Iraqi women in the cyber realm are more than necessary. It can be argued that the social science of psychology is also related. This is because we must understand that the use of technology helps to improve the everyday lives of women in Iraq, which would help one to understand why they decide to continue to use its mediums despite the threats they face.
The question presented in this article is one wondering how the Iraqi government can do its part to protect its women from cyberbullying, whilst still allowing them the right to use social media. There are a few hypothetical solutions presented in the article: one is that the Iraqi government implements the use of advanced technologies that will properly monitor the use of the internet in the country, another solution being the offering of education on how to properly and safely use the media given to its citizens. The first would use screens to flag any suspicious activity to be immediately reported. The second would allow citizens to have the power to assist in their own protection by being knowledgeable about cyber security.
Research was had to study and gain an understanding the discrimination and cyber bullying of women in Iraq. The research was based on interpretivism philosophy, which is the assumption that reality is subjective, multiple, and socially constructed. The data was gained from a targeted sample of nine Iraqi women who use social media, with a focus on receiving their “perceptions regarding cyberbullying” and discrimination in their country. During the study, an emphasis on respect for the women and their decision to participate was present. The data found was analyzed into different themes and sub-themes, the themes being the prevalence of discrimination and cyberbullying against women in Iraq, social media impact on cyberbullying, and organizations working against discrimination and cyberbullying. They present valuable information about how present this issue is, the impact it has Iraqi women, as well as what organizations (if any) are working the solve the issue. Results showed that eight out of nine of women report some sort of cyberbullying or discrimination, having their emotional and mental health highly affected by these happenings, and that there are few organizations in Iraq working against this. There was one organization named, however, called Ersaa that was taking necessary measures to “combat gender-based violence.”
An important concept presented in the class and the article is cybersecurity. It is very apparent that there is need for the implementation of more advanced technologies in Iraq, specifically to monitor, flag, and report any internet activity that may be suspicious and/or harmful. Sociology is another very prevalent concept here. Women are using the media to share and receive information; however, it seems as though discrepancies between the sort of lives of those who are viewing and sharing information may be quite different. This results in severe judgment being had of these Iraqi women. Law is a third concept that is present. As pointed out in the article, there are some countries that have implemented advanced technologies to monitor media use and have experienced great declines in cybercrimes such as cyberbullying and discrimination because of it, which has been an encouraging factor for the scholars of this article to explore reasons why their country should do the same. The concept of inductive research is the last that will be presented in the passage, because it best represents the sort of research done in this article.
One contribution presented by this article is the argument for the implementation of laws and advanced technologies that will protect Iraqi women’s right as well as their ability so safely use social media and technology. Another contribution is the presentation of personal experience, perceived norms, and social beliefs of those in Iraq. These are important to consider when making changes to better create a kind internet, better social media, and better cybersecurity.
Resources:
International Journal of Cyber criminology: https://www.cybercrimejournal.com/Links to an external site.
https://cybercrimejournal.com/menuscript/index.php/cybercrimejournal/article/view/190/72