Here is something I wrote that I thought I would put out for other people's thoughts.
A student recently asked, "Did any of the camgirls you interviewed for your book deal with cyberstalking or other forms of harassment?"
It's a question I get pretty frequently, and I think the reason I get it is because people are naturally concerned with what seems to be a slippery slope between having an online presence and putting oneself at risk for harm.
Here was my response:
I think we want to separate out viewer abuse (the sort that comes from putting oneself out in public view) from 'cyberstalking' (in which someone is surveilled without permission as they go about their daily business online.) Many years ago, I edited an issue of a journal that had an article by Pamela Gilbert in which she described an ex who subscribed to academic mailing lists just so he could post nude pictures of her online and embarrass her in front of her colleagues. That to me is cyberstalking/e-harassment. Getting told to get a life after nuding up on camera for invited viewers could be construed as mean-spirited and abusive, but it is contextually based in a way that crashing an academic list to show privately taken digital photos is not.
With this said, although almost all the camgirls I spoke to (including myself) had to deal with abusive comments and undesired email from folks from time to time, I never heard of any specific incidents of harassment involving undesired viewer surveillance of activities (e.g. someone unearthing a private phone number or publishing a home address online.) That doesn't mean it didn't happen; just that I didn't hear about it. But as the story above illustrates, that sort of thing can happen to anybody at anytime. By now I think we are all in agreement that if someone wants to spend the money/effort, they can track down almost anyone at any informational level.
I don't mean to make light of the stalking concern. I've been on the other end of it, and I take it very seriously. But the more time I spend thinking about these issues, the more I am convinced that the best defense against this sort of behavior isn't hiding and subterfuge, but rather a strong public online presence, with vocal witnesses all around, all the time.
I know what I'm suggesting may sound counter-intuitive, and you really deserve a longer rationale from me. Maybe after another iced coffee I'll produce it. :)
----
As ever, your thoughts are welcome.
T
A student recently asked, "Did any of the camgirls you interviewed for your book deal with cyberstalking or other forms of harassment?"
It's a question I get pretty frequently, and I think the reason I get it is because people are naturally concerned with what seems to be a slippery slope between having an online presence and putting oneself at risk for harm.
Here was my response:
I think we want to separate out viewer abuse (the sort that comes from putting oneself out in public view) from 'cyberstalking' (in which someone is surveilled without permission as they go about their daily business online.) Many years ago, I edited an issue of a journal that had an article by Pamela Gilbert in which she described an ex who subscribed to academic mailing lists just so he could post nude pictures of her online and embarrass her in front of her colleagues. That to me is cyberstalking/e-harassment. Getting told to get a life after nuding up on camera for invited viewers could be construed as mean-spirited and abusive, but it is contextually based in a way that crashing an academic list to show privately taken digital photos is not.
With this said, although almost all the camgirls I spoke to (including myself) had to deal with abusive comments and undesired email from folks from time to time, I never heard of any specific incidents of harassment involving undesired viewer surveillance of activities (e.g. someone unearthing a private phone number or publishing a home address online.) That doesn't mean it didn't happen; just that I didn't hear about it. But as the story above illustrates, that sort of thing can happen to anybody at anytime. By now I think we are all in agreement that if someone wants to spend the money/effort, they can track down almost anyone at any informational level.
I don't mean to make light of the stalking concern. I've been on the other end of it, and I take it very seriously. But the more time I spend thinking about these issues, the more I am convinced that the best defense against this sort of behavior isn't hiding and subterfuge, but rather a strong public online presence, with vocal witnesses all around, all the time.
I know what I'm suggesting may sound counter-intuitive, and you really deserve a longer rationale from me. Maybe after another iced coffee I'll produce it. :)
----
As ever, your thoughts are welcome.
T