Cybercrime Perception

Summary

As technology continues to advance, so do the opportunities to engage in and experience cybercrime, which is generally thought to be harmful behaviors that involve the use of technology or online environments or both. Although research reveals that cybercrime is increasing in prevalence, frequency, and impact, there has been minimal scholarly interest in how individuals perceive these online phenomena. Perceptions of human behavior are critical to understand, as society’s functioning relies on them. In fact, shared perceptions of human behavior dictate how members of society interact with one another, influence what behaviors are deemed acceptable (or not), and create a sense of shared culture. Although perceptions of human behavior can include a variety of perspectives, three main frameworks of perceptions have been explored with respect to cybercrime: perceptions of fear of cybercrime, perceptions of the seriousness of cybercrime, and the normalization or acceptance of cybercrime (or at least some cybercrime behaviors) or both.

In brief, cybercrime tends to be feared less and viewed as less serious than traditional forms of offline crime despite the serious harms associated with cybercrime victimization. Moreover, cybercrime is often accepted or even considered a normal, unavoidable part of contemporary life. These perceptions have important implications for prevalence of cybercrime victimization and perpetration, the quantity of resources dedicated to addressing cybercrime, and criminal justice responses to cybercrime. Empirical efforts to further understand perceptions of cybercrime are critical for the development of educational and awareness programming and to further understand how cybercrime fits within society.