Hate is everywhere on the internet and it’s getting worse. Cybergangs trawl the web for victims to destroy; online lynch mobs get people fired from their jobs; school kids are bullied to death; hackers re-configure web pages to give epileptics seizures, and RIP trolls viciously deface Facebook memorial pages set up to honour dead teenagers. How has it come to this? The internet was never meant to be a playground for bullies, thugs, and psychopaths. In fact, its original purpose was to exchange raw data between researchers. Over the years, it evolved to allow information sharing among the masses, but its democratic ethos also invited the darker side of human nature to the online table, with devastating consequences. It’s so bad now that any one of us can become the target of an online tormentor, bully, or stalker. And it’s not as if we have to do anything dire to incur the internet’s wrath. Some have simply posted ill-conceived jokes that the cybermob deliberately misinterpreted and others have given well-intentioned opinions for which they were vilified mercilessly. So what, if anything, can we do to protect ourselves from trolls, bullies, cybermobs and stalkers before cyberspace becomes a no-go zone? Cyberculture answers these questions and more and offers practical and innovative suggestions to help us stay safe online. It delves into the crucial differences between the different types of internet menace and why they each must be managed differently. Via case studies and recent research, Cyberculture reveals the shocking effect trolling, cybershaming, and cyberstalking has on its victims and perpetrators as well as what law enforcement and governments are doing-and not doing-to curb the hostility. Whether you’re online for business, education, or pleasure, Cyberculture will give you the knowledge and skills to navigate, and possibly help redeem, an increasingly hostile and unforgiving internet.
