Socio-psychological features of adult behavior on the internet in a situation of cyber aggression

Context and relevance. The insufficient level of development of information literacy and positive online culture among adults and young people makes them the most vulnerable to the dangers and threats of destructive behavior on the Internet. Objective. To explore the socio-psychological characteristics of adult behavior in a cyberaggression situation. Hypothesis. The direction of cyberaggression among adults on the Internet is determined by their behavioral patterns. Methods and materials. Using R.I. Zekeryaev's author's questionnaires "Direction of Behavior in the Internet Space" and "Studying the Influence of Attitudes on the Choice of Role Positions and Behavioral Strategies," as well as D. Álvarez-García's Cyberaggression Questionnaire (adapted by A.A. Sharov), the study obtained data on internet activity habits and experiences of online aggression. The study involved 91 women aged 21 and older 48. The average age of the participants was 32.37 years. Results. The results of the study demonstrate the high prevalence of aggressive content in the online space, regardless of age. The respondents of the first group (97.78%) witnessed aggressive behavior on the Internet, which is comparable to the results of the second group (93.48%). Among the respondents of the first group, 55.56% indicated that they had been subjected to aggressive behavior or insults on the Internet, while this figure was 36.96% among the second group. It is noteworthy that 63.04% of the participants in group 2 did not encounter such behavior, which is significantly higher than the same indicator in group 1 (44.44%). Conclusions. The differences in the manifestations of cyber aggression on the Internet in two groups were revealed. Group 1 is more likely to demonstrate impulsive forms of cyber aggression: impulsively proactive and impulsively responsive. Group 2 members demonstrate a higher prevalence of proactive and reactive cyberaggression. The results offer practical value for psychological counseling, prevention efforts, and educational outreach targeting the adult population and parents.

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