Beyond Traditional Crime: Routine Online Activity Theory in the Era of Big Data

• In Event: Cyberharassment & Victimization

Abstract

The purpose of this paper is to investigate how our daily online activities have become battlegrounds for cybersecurity threats, focusing on the gap between widespread concerns about internet privacy and the limited actions taken for self-protection. Utilizing data from the 2022-2023 Survey of Canadians on privacy-related issues, I analyze how individuals perceive privacy risks and how these perceptions influence their responses. While 89% of Canadians are worried about the collection of their personal information by social media platforms for profiling purposes, only half have taken measures such as deleting or discontinuing the use of a social media account due to privacy concerns. Furthermore, a smaller percentage, 38%, have ended business relationships with companies or organizations following a privacy breach. My research provides empirical support for the notion that, despite evident distrust in big data companies' ability to safeguard their personal information, users continue to engage with these platforms. This paradoxical behavior mirrors a modern manifestation neutralization theory, where individuals justify their use of digital platforms, influenced by the pressures of surveillance capitalism and routine online activities.

Author

• Michaela Michalopulos, McGill University