Friday, October 4, 2013

Susanne Jensvold Ruud Assignment 2

Susanne Jensvold Ruud
Soc 167. Assignment 2


My story is about a online crime committed by a Marine resident who used so called “sextortion” to blackmail a women into sending him pictures of herself. When the women denied he said he would send pictures he already had of her around to other people and leak them on the Internet. Along with other private information about her. He communicated with the women through anonymous emails. The man has now pleaded guilty in front of a judge for interstate stalking. He will face a maximum sentence of 5 years.

John Bryan Villegas who was judged in this case used dissociative anonymity. He send anonymous emails and the women he sent them to could not know any personal information about him. John hided his identity because he wanted to blackmail the women he sent emails to. This anonymity is one of the things that create the disinhibiton effect. What Johan says or do to this women through the emails can’t be directly linked to him and affect his life. Which makes it easier to go through with it.

John was also invisible through the use of Internet. The women he sent the emails to couldn’t see him and he couldn’t see her. This makes it easier for him to things he maybe otherwise wouldn’t.

When John and the woman interacted through emails they don’t interact in real time. Which means that they can answer whenever they want. This is called asynchronicity. When they don’t have to react to the immediate reaction of the other person this creates disinhibiton. When people communicate face to face they usually follow social norms. But this can disappear when you communicate through emails. People can then have expressions that avert from social norms. Because they can say something and put it out there, but they can also run from it afterwards if they want to. Because people don’t know who you are.


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