Worlds tied together? Online and non-domestic routine activities and their impact on digital and traditional threat victimization

Abstract

The article compares risk factors between threat victimization by digital and traditional modes (e.g. email or chat room versus letter or face-to-face). Until now, empirical tests of routine activity theory have applied a segregated approach in such cases, linking computer activities to cybercrime victimization and outdoor activities to traditional victimization. However, an integrated approach suggests that social interactions between people in the physical and digital world are connected. Thus, exposure to conflict-prone situations and eventual escalation of the conflict by a threat can occur in separate domains. Routine activities online can therefore result in traditional threat victimization and, conversely, outdoor activities can result in digital threat victimization. Results from victimization survey data from a sample of the Dutch general population (N = 6896) offer support for these hypotheses. The findings suggest that routine activity theory needs to be tested in new ways in contemporary digitalized societies.

Under the Corporate Radar: Examining Insider Business Cybercrime Victimization through an Application of Routine Activities Theory

“…The impact of new technologies and inadequate security on the likelihood of insider victimization can be estimated using Routine Activities Theory (Cohen and Felson 1979). Several empirical applications point to the significant effect that frequent routine activity and the lack of capable guardians have on opening-up opportunities for cybercrime (Holt and Bossler 2008;Van Wilsem 2011;Williams 2016). This paper extends this work to explore whether corporate insider cybercrime victimization is a function of risky routine activities conducted in organizations that lack capable guardianship.…”

“…However, there are a number of studies based on the domestic population. Studies of cyber-harassment and computer virus infection have shown proximity to motivated offenders and varied and intense online routine activity were predictive of victimization (Holt and Bossler 2008;Van Wilsem 2011). Perhaps most pertinent to insider cyber victimization, studies of online identity theft among domestic victims have produced some encouraging results.…”

“…Perhaps most pertinent to insider cyber victimization, studies of online identity theft among domestic victims have produced some encouraging results. Online routine activities, including Internet banking, shopping, emailing, and downloading, have consistently been found to statistically predict domestic online identity theft victimization in the US, the Netherlands, the UK, and Europe (Pratt, Holtfreter, and Reisig 2010;Reyns 2013;van Wilsem 2011;Williams 2016). In the UK study, men, the elderly, and those in higher socio-economic groups were most likely to be victimized, yet these associations were moderated by the introduction of RAT measures, indicating the relevance of target visibility and accessibility in predicting victimization (Reyns 2013).…”

A Direct Insight into Victims of Cybercrime

“…Computers and the internet have dynamically changed the possibilities for experiencing crime [23]. Now not only can computers be targets for crime, but crimes can now be conducted on the internet as well [23].…”

“…Now not only can computers be targets for crime, but crimes can now be conducted on the internet as well [23]. VPT and cybercrime represent the most undesirable aspects of VWEs, as with the internet in general.…”