A huge percent of Americans get harassed online, but solutions aren't clear
If you're an American who's been harassed online, you're not alone. You're probably surrounded by others who have experienced something similar.
More than 40 percent of Americans have been harassed on the internet, according to a Pew Research Center survey of 4,248 "nationally representative" American adults that was published on July 11.
Pew distinguishes harassment behaviors as either "less severe" or "more severe." Less severe behaviors include "offensive name-calling" and "purposeful embarrassment," while the more severe ones include "physical threats," "sustained harassment," "stalking," and "sexual harassment." Nearly one third of respondents said they'd experienced "more severe" harassment, including 10 percent who said they'd been physically threatened.
Americans are apparently targeted for all sorts of reasons, including their politics, physical appearance, gender, race, and ethnicity.
"For those who experience online harassment directly, these encounters can have profound real-world consequences, ranging from mental or emotional stress to reputational damage or even fear for one’s personal safety," wrote the author of the report, Maeve Duggan.
Even those who don't experience harassment directly are often aware enough of it to where it affects their communication online. According to the study, 27 percent of respondents said they changed their mind about posting something online after they saw other people get harassed, and 13 percent of respondents said seeing harassment online led them to leave an online platform altogether.
One takeaway is clear: harassment is an inescapable fact of online life. The good news -- in addition to all the bad -- is that 30 percent of respondents also said they've done something to help those being attacked.
Another takeaway is that nearly two-thirds of those surveyed believe online harassment is a "major problem," but Americans don't really know what to do about it -- if anything.
Slightly less than half of those surveyed said they think letting people speak (or type) "freely online" is more important than "preventing behavior that crosses into abuse," while slightly more than half said the opposite.
Perhaps, America being what it is in 2017, it's not surprising that the nation is divided.
Colin is Mashable's US & World Reporter. He previously interned at Foreign Policy magazine and The American Prospect. Colin is a graduate from Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism. When he's not at Mashable, you can most likely find him eating or playing some kind of sport.
