Cyberstalking among Korean College Students: An Examination of the Applicability of Cyberlifestyle-Routine Activity Theories

• In Event: Roundtable: Offending and Victimization in Schools: Risk Factors and Theory

Abstract

South Korea is one of the most digitally connected countries in the world. However, just as the increased utilization of the Internet and digital technologies has made people more connected and accessible, many forms of abuse have also moved online. Online abuse is considered a serious social problem in South Korea, and in recent years has attracted more media and public attention due to the high profile of some of the victims on online abuse. Amid growing calls for tougher penalties for stalkers, the Korean National assembly passed a new anti-stalking legislation imposing stiffer penalties. The current study draws on Reyns and colleagues’ cyberlifestyle-routine activities theory (CLRAT) to understand the risk of cyberstalking victimization among Korean college students. Using data from a sample of 429 undergraduate Korean students, we examined the extent of exposure to stalking in the cyberspace and the relationship of several CLRAT variables on four types of cyberstalking victimization (unwanted contact, harassment, sexual advances, threat of violence). We found a significant relationship between many of the variables representing the major constructs of CLRAT and college students’ experiences of cyberstalking victimization Thus, the current study provided partial support to the application of CLRAT to stalking experience in the cyberspace.

Author

• Riccardo Ferraresso, Dongguk University, Seoul, Korea