Security in the 21st Century

• Author: Billy Henson,Bonnie S. Fisher,Bradford W. Reyns
• DOI: 10.1177/0734016811399421
• Date: 01 September 2011
• Published date: 01 September 2011
• Subject Matter: Articles

Articles

Security in the 21st Century:

Examining the Link Between

Online Social Network

Activity, Privacy, and

Interpersonal Victimization

Billy Henson

1

, Bradford W. Reyns

2

, and Bonnie S. Fisher

3

Abstract

In the last decade, online social networking websites have become immensely popular worldwide, with

the number of users growing exponentially. With a social network account, users can post an array of

personal information and link their profile to those of other users, forming virtual communities. In the

last few years, security and protection of private in formation posted on social networking sites has

piqued the interest of researchers. Generally, thefocusofthisresearchhasbeenlimitedto

describing the type of information posted by users, with few studies examining the relationship

between users’ adoption of security measures for their social networking sites and negative online

experiences, such as online interpersonal victimization. Our examination of the relationship between

users’ online social network activity, online social network security, and online interpersonal

victimization found that users who engaged in risky online behaviors, such as opening numerous

social network accounts and adding strangers as friends, were more likely to be victimized online.

Keywords

Online Victimization, Security, Social Networks, Cybercrime

Introduction

Social networking websites—everyone has heard of them. They are quite popular, with many

individuals logging on several times a day to update their status or even stay logged on continuously

so they can receive messages from their friends throughout the day. These websites allow individ-

uals to join virtual communities within which they can network with family, friends, coworkers, and

even strangers. In the last decade, online social networking has evolved from an entertaining novelty

to a multibillion dollar global industry. Users of these sites range from adolescents to grandparents,

1

Shippensburg University, Shippensburg, PA, USA

2

Weber State University, Cedar city, UT, USA

3

University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, OH, USA

Corresponding Author:

Billy Henson, Department of Criminal Justice, Shippensburg University,1871 Old Main Drive, Shippensburg, PA, 17257

Email: hensonbw@gmail .com

Criminal Justice Review

36(3) 253-268

ª2011 Georgia State University

Reprints and permission:

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DOI: 10.1177/0734016811399421

http://cjr.sagepub.com

and they are spread throughout almost every developed nation in the world. With over 400 million

users on Facebook alone, the total number of online social network users worldwide has exceeded

the populations of every country except India and China, and the number of users continues to grow

every year (Facebook, 2010).

Given the sheer number of users and the ever-looming threat of online victimization, personal

privacy has become a major security issue for online social networking sites and users. While the

first line of protection is ultimately the responsibility of the user, all of the major social network sites

provide security features to protect personal information, though the extent and intensity of the fea-

tures vary and are forever changing. Recently, a number of studies have been produced examining

the use of and behavior on social networking sites, with many specifically focusing on the issues of

privacy and security (e.g., Acquisti & Gross, 2006; Dwyer, Hiltz, & Passerini, 2007; Hinduja &

Patchin, 2008; Hodge, 2007; Jones & Soltren, 2005). The majority of these studies have only exam-

ined user perceptions of privacy and the use of security features (see Acquisti & Gross, 2006; Dwyer

et al., 2007; Jones & Soltren, 2005), with very few studies examining the link between social net-

work privacy and security and online victimization. Utilizing a sample of social network users, the

current study adds to this small body of research by examining the relationship between personal and

site-provided security and online interpersonal victimization (i.e., repeated unwanted contact, har-

assment, unwanted sexual advances, and threats of physical violence).

Online Social Networks

Social networking sites such as Facebook, Friendster, and MySpace are web-based ‘‘commu-

nities’’ that allow users to create profiles and virtually interact with other members. With an online

social network account, individuals can add personal information to their profiles, link with other

users (also called ‘‘friending’’), post photographs and videos, and chat with other users around the

world. Though now similar in format and style, many of these sites have very diverse origins. For

example, Facebook essentially began as a student directory and yearbook at Harvard University.

Launched from its developer’s living room, Friendster was initially created to be a user-friendly dat-

ing site. Still other sites, such as MySpace, began on a much larger scale with hefty operating bud-

gets and very specific social networking-oriented goals. No matter what their origins, it is clear that

online social networking sites have created a cultural movement that has changed and will continue

to define how individuals interact with each other in time and space.

Since their initial introduction in the late 1990s, the number and popularity of social network-

ing sites has grown dramatically among all age groups. From the global giants to the school-based

networks, there are currently hundreds of social networking sites on the Internet. For instance,

according to a 2009 Nielsen study, almost two thirds of the global online population visits

social networking and blog sites, accounting for 10%of all time spent on the Internet. That

same study reported that online communities have become more popular than personal e-mail

(Nielsen, 2009). In terms of individual popularity, certain social networking sites have appealed

to a very large number of users.

1

For example, LinkedIn (2010) claims over 65 million active

monthly users worldwide, while Tagged (2010) has over 80 million global members. Even more

astounding, MySpace (2010) boasts over 100 million active monthly users worldwide. However,

without a doubt, Facebook (2010) is by far the standalone leader in online social networking.

Globally, this provider has more than 400 million active users. These users spend an average

of almost an hour a day on the site and upload more than 3 billion photos per month (Facebook,

2010). The web information company Alexa listed Facebook as the second most popular website

on the Internet in 2009, only behind the search engine Google (Alexa, 2010). Further, Google

reported that Facebook was the most common search term for the site in 2009 (Google , 2010).

254 Criminal Justice Review 36(3)