Proliferation of social media And Cybercrime Against Women and Girls in Nigeria
Abraham Oluwapelumi Adenrian, Olamide Hannah Adeniran, Abiodun Thomas Ogundele, Marcus Taiwo Adedara · 2023
Social media offers numerous opportunities and benefits, particularly in terms of information access. However, it can be misused by criminals to cause harm to people, especially women and girls. This research seeks to assess how social media usage influences cyberviolence against women and girls (Cyber-VAWG). The study’s findings, based on descriptive and inferential data, showed that most of the population’s females had suffered cyber-based violence at least once. Unwanted sexual photos, impersonation online, and privacy invasion via hacking social media accounts were also shown to be significant forms of cyber abuse faced by victims. When it comes to the motivations behind cyber-VAWG, it’s all about the money and the sex. The findings further imply that the amount of security knowledge and education exposure, as well as the influence of age, are more important in exposing victims to cybercrime than their exposure and the frequency with which they use social media. Cyber-VAWG. In terms of the impact of cyber-VAWG on victims, findings from the study further revealed that most of the respondents were reportedly angered and irritated; worried and disturbed.