Downloading Fear: Examining the Duality of Fear and Victimization Across Physical and Virtual Environments

• In Event: Fear and dynamics of online and offline victimization

Abstract

A rather substantial amount of research has been produced examining women’s experiences with, and fear of, violent and sexual victimization. However, the majority of this work has focused solely on traditional victimization, with few studies venturing into the virtual world of the Internet. As a result, there are many unanswered questions regarding the possible overlap between online and offline experiences. Do online experiences influence fear of offline victimization? Likewise, do offline experiences influence fear of online victimization? Utilizing a random sample of college students from a large, urban university in the Midwest, the current study attempts to answer these questions by examining the overlap between offline and online fear of violent and sexual victimization for female college students. Specifically, we focus on the dual relationships between online and offline violent/sexual victimization and fear. Preliminary findings indicate the need for expanding the scope of the environment with which fear of sexual victimization is examined beyond the physical world.

Authors

• Billy Henson, Shippensburg University

• Brad Reyns, Weber State University

• Bonnie S. Fisher, University of Cincinnati