Experts are split on whether the coming years will see less misinformation online. Those who foresee improvement hope for technological and societal solutions. Others say bad actors using technology can exploit human vulnerabilities.
Lee Rainie, director of internet and technology research at Pew Research Center, discussed recent findings about the prevalence and impact of online harassment at the Cyber Health and Safety Virtual Summit: 41% of American adults have been harassed online and 66% have witnessed harassment. The findings come from the Center’s recent report on these issues.
Seven-in-ten U.S. adults say it is it likely that their own phone calls and emails are being monitored by the government.
People deal in varying ways with tensions about what information to trust and how much they want to learn. Some are interested and engaged with information; others are wary and stressed.
Many experts say lack of trust won't hinder increased public reliance on the internet. Some expect trust to grow as tech and regulatory changes arise; others think it will worsen or maybe change entirely.
About one-in-four Americans who have been harassed online say an acquaintance was behind their most recent incident.
Although online harassment can take many forms, some minority groups in America more frequently encounter harassment that carries racial overtones.
Republicans and Democrats are about equally likely to have been harassed online because of their political views, but there are some notable differences in how members of each party view the issue of online harassment.
Among women who have experienced any form of online harassment, 35% say they found their most recent incident to be “extremely” or “very” upsetting.
Read a Q&A with Maeve Duggan, Pew Research Center research associate, on our survey examining online harassment in the United States.
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About Pew Research Center Pew Research Center is a nonpartisan fact tank that informs the public about the issues, attitudes and trends shaping the world. It conducts public opinion polling, demographic research, media content analysis and other empirical social science research. Pew Research Center does not take policy positions. It is a subsidiary of The Pew Charitable Trusts.
