Motives behind the online harassment

When someone faces online harassment, there is always a perpetrator with motivation behind their actions. But why do some people tend to harass others? They may attack innocent victims who have no idea why they are being targeted. Understanding the reasons behind cyberbullying may help to prevent such cases in the future.  

One of the reasons behind these actions is stereotypes, which have a strong influence on attitudes —potentially leading to offensive behaviour. Particularly the stereotypes based on gender increase assumptions and lead to gender-based violence online. These stereotypes, for example in professional contexts, come from real life, but the internet offers a platform to reinforce them, along with cultural or ethnic stereotypes. Online communities often consist of like-minded people leading them to reinforce their assumptions and stereotypes — increasing the peer pressure to harm others. 

The motives for the cyber violence may also vary from gaining satisfaction, getting revenge and in some cases just finding entertainment. Some perpetrators may have concrete goals such as persuading victims to do something or exposing them. Other causes may include also a desire for power and control or jealousy against the victim –which motivates them to hurt the target. In many cases, people might also express their emotions — such as anger — through the hate messages, as a way of relieving emotions. There is often a reason behind the behaviour that the perpetrator may not even be aware of, which may be related to psychological factors as well. 

Moreover, education plays a significant role in the action of the digital environment. Young people learn from the actions they see in their surroundings. The way they have been taught to treat others often predicts similar behaviour in the future. In addition, the attitudes absorbed at home can have an influence on perpetrator’s way of thinking. As a result, they might harass people without feeling guilty. Even if someone has been influenced negatively at home, schools have a great opportunity to teach how to behave respectfully online —although the school environment can also contribute to harmful online behaviour due to peer influence. 

The freedom offered by various digital platforms makes it easier for perpetrators to harass others without a fear of consequences. Perpetrators exploit the online anonymity and may feel free to make post hateful comments or sexual harassment. Manners and rules on social media are not so clear, meaning they might not even realize they are doing something wrong — which emphasizes the importance of good education.  

The question is: can perpetrators follow the Golden rule — to not say or do anything online you wouldn’t say or do in person? In Australia, an experiment called More than mean explored this question by asking men to read real hate comments to women face-to-face and feel shame and embarrassed. The experiment tested how it actually feels to say hate comments towards women and as a result, participant felt ashamed and embarrassed. This campaign showed that people feel more powerful and secure behind a screen than in real life — which highlights the power of online harassment.  

Recognizing the reasons and motivations behind the perpetrators to do online harassment and abuse can help to find effective measures to inhibit harassment later on. For example, challenging and changing harmful stereotypes and attitudes along with improving education can prevent the reckless behaviour online.