Understanding Cyber Crime Awareness Perceptions and Hypothetical Response Among Females Without Victimization Experience
Keywords:
Awareness, Cybercrime, Digital exposure, Female students, Protective behavior, Reporting mechanisms, PerceptionsSynopsis
This study explored the awareness, perceptions, and hypothetical responses to cybercrime among females who have never experienced victimization, addressing the growing prevalence of cyber threats and the unique vulnerabilities women face online. The focus was on examining how non-victimized females see cyber risk and their awareness levels, and possible reactions toward hypothetical cybercrime cases. The study was qualitative research focused on RAT (Routine Activity Theory), which brings exposure risk through everyday digital activities, into qualitative analysis. And semi-structured interviews were done on the 15 female university students who were purposively sampled to the point of data saturation. Three major themes were identified through thematic analysis; (1) Awareness of Cybercrime, in which most of the general knowledge claimed by participants is rather superficial and usually without any technical detail against some threats like online harassment and scams; (2) Perceptions of Cybercrime, mostly described through media and social influences instead of experiences, while all online behaviors seem cautious and sometimes a little anxious; and (3) Hypothetical Responses to Cybercrime, suggesting a preference for informal support networks like friends and family, coupled with mistrust or unfamiliarity with formal reporting mechanisms. Probing the gap between awareness and action, which can be inferred from the findings, illustrates that limited knowledge is likely to have a protective benefit, but limited preparedness and confidence in institutional support. Therefore, formulations should be made to design any gender-targeted or gender-sensitive technical empowerment and cybersecurity education programs with possible enhanced technical understanding, leading to encouraging more use of formal reporting avenues within institutions. Future investigations should be implemented on scalable interventions within educational institutions, aimed at equipping females with the necessary skills and resources required for safe navigation of digital spaces.
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