A new survey from the Pew Research Center on online harassment focuses on how it affects both men and women.
The study shows that about 40 percent of people who use the internet have been harassed online, and is the first conducted by Pew on the issue, according to PC Magazine. The survey was split into two categories, the first including name-calling and harassment, and the second including stalking, physical threats, sexual harassment and harassment over long periods of time.
The research group found that men have a 44 percent chance of experiencing at least one form of online harassment, while women have a 37 percent chance. Women, however, have a greater chance of being stalked or sexually harassed, especially those between ages 18 and 24.
"In terms of specific experiences, men are more likely than women to encounter name-calling, embarrassment, and physical threats," Pew said.
There were other factors found in the study, such as race, with incidents of online harassment occurring among 51 percent of African-American internet users, 54 percent of Hispanic users and 34 percent of Caucasian users, PC Magazine reported. Gaming was also a topic, and close to 44 percent of participants said the online gaming industry is more welcoming to men. Three percent said it was more welcoming to women and 50 percent said it was welcoming just as much to men as to women.
The study comes as online harassment cases are reported among many female celebrities, with Zelda Williams facing online harassment after her father, Robin Williams, passed away, along with sexually explicit stolen photos of several female celebrities being leaked online.
One positive outcome of the study was that most participants didn't find online harassment that upsetting; some said it didn't bother them at all, according to PC Magazine. However, 27 percent said they were upset by these attacks.
Despite the difference in feelings towards online harassment, Maeve Duggan, research assistant at Pew, said these attacks can lead to long-term effects on users.
"In a time when everyone from future employers to future romantic partners can potentially find personal information on others with a simple Google search, online harassment can cast a long shadow," Duggan said.
