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Deviant behavior in cyberspace and emotional states

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Abstract

This study stands out from previous studies because it classifies Internet users into the following four groups: users who experienced no deviant behavior in cyberspace, users who suffered damage by it, perpetrators of deviant behavior, and users who experienced both wrongdoing and damage. Data from the 2016 Survey on the Digital Divide were used to examine the relationships between experiences of deviant behavior in cyberspace and emotional states (depression, anxiety, loneliness, and self-esteem). The results found that males were more likely than females to experience wrongdoing and damage. Teenagers and those aged 20–29 were relatively more likely to experience both types of deviant behavior in cyberspace and to be perpetrators. The differences in Internet literacy and smart literacy by type of deviant behavior were all statistically significant. Although there were no significant differences in loneliness or anxiety by group, depression and self-esteem were statistically different among the four groups.

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Data Availability

The data used in this study are publicly available from the National Information Society Agency (https://www.nia.or.kr/site/nia_kor/main.do) and OSF (https://osf.io/57arp).

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  1. Department of Home Economics Education, College of Education, Jeonju University, 303 Cheonjam-ro, Jeonju, South Korea

    Su-Jung Nam

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Nam, SJ. Deviant behavior in cyberspace and emotional states. Curr Psychol 42, 10751–10760 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12144-021-02370-7

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