Cybervictimology. Methods and Metrics
Dmitry Zhmurov
Abstract
The article suggests the author's methods of assessing the victim’s potential of an individual on the Internet. These methods mean certain cognitive techniques and practical activities aimed at identifying two most important factors: firstly, the frequency and experience of cybervictimization an individual has (the retrospective level of cognition); secondly, the degree of the unrealized victim possibilities (the prospective level of cognition). For these purposes, appropriate diagnostic tools have been developed: a) a victimological questionnaire of Internet victims; and b) a scale of cybervictimization. The first one is aimed at describing facts of victimization in the Internet space, their registering and stating. The questionnaire is the fullest possible list of forms and types of cybervictimization from which the respondent can choose the ones he personally experienced. The second tool is a test method for diagnosing existing victimogenic trends that can be implemented in the future. The test was completed in the form of a standardized task covering four subscales (provoking behavior on the Internet, defensive strategies, digital immersion, and experience of cybervictimization). The answer to each of the questions is differentiated by the degree of depth of victimization of the individual, ranging from the highest degree to the degree close to zero.