Avoiding Online Harassment: The Socially Disenfranchised

Abstract

As social media increasingly mediate our relationships and social lives, individuals are becoming more connected and gaining social benefits. However, many are now experiencing online harassment. Avoiding or abandoning social media is one common tactic to cope with harassment. This chapter investigates the harassment-related motivations and concerns driving social media non-use, as well as the benefits and consequences that result from not using social media. This research sheds light on a previously underexplored type of non-user who faces social barriers to using social media (as opposed to functional barriers). This chapter explains how such individuals encounter social consequences whether they are on or off social media, resulting in a lose-lose situation that we term social disenfranchisement. Building on Wyatt’s framework and the risk-benefits framework, we introduce this previously unidentified category of non-use as an extension to the commonly used taxonomy and provide a cohesive theoretical framework within which to understand various types of non-use. We then analyze the phenomenon of online harassment from the perspective of this non-use framework. Addressing the concerns of socially disenfranchised non-users is of utmost importance in the fight against online harassment. As others are increasingly connected, they are increasingly left behind and even ostracized. This chapter therefore concludes by providing design recommendations to alleviate the negative social consequences currently endured by socially disenfranchised non-users.