Cyber Social Control

Cyber transgressions (non-normative behaviors, attitudes and conditions) are growing, hence we employed a three-study exploratory sequential mixed method designed to make a taxonomy of Instagram cybercultural transgressions, and cyber social control means; to examine the effects of low self-control, depression, negative interpersonal relationships, computer/ Internet self-efficacy, netiquette, and normative beliefs, and also sociodemographic factors, and media use habits on cybercultural transgressions; and to explore the effectiveness of jurisdiction, non-anonymity, filtering, and forced user migration to domestic social media platforms as cyber social control means. The quantitative findings from 989 participants showed that nondepressed, older, married, middle-income, university educated, non-student users (especially women) with high self-control, more positive interpersonal relationships, moderate levels of computer/ Internet self-efficacy, normative beliefs, and with more years of Internet use experience, and less daily Internet use, who are knowledgeable about netiquette, are parents, have a job (also retired individuals and housewives), do not use VPNs, psychotropic medications, and alcoholic beverages and/ or recreational drugs, do not have previous experience of online victimization, do not associate with online transgressors, and do not feel being in minority, are less likely than others to commit online transgressive behaviors, or consume transgressive content. The importance of jurisdiction and non-anonymity as social control means, and the failure of filtering and forced user migration to Iranian social media platforms are discussed. These findings can be useful in devising new non-coercive policies and initiatives to socially control cybercultural transgressions.

Cyber transgressions (nonnormative behaviors, attitudes and conditions)– both cultural and criminal– have raised social control concerns among different stakeholders. A group comparison research design was adopted to examine the effects of sociodemographic factors and social media use habits of Iranian social media users (n= 989) on their self-control, cybercultural transgressive behaviors, and transgressive content consumption. The study has contributed to the literature by recognizing the impacts of gender, age, relationship status, parental, educational, and occupational status, and household income level on the outcome variables. Altogether, it can be inferred from the results that individuals (especially women) who are older, married, have children, are middle-income, university educated, non-student, have more years of Internet use experience, and less daily internet use, and have a job (also retired individuals and housewives) are less likely than others to commit online transgressive behaviors, or consume transgressive content. The findings of this study can be employed to devise new policies and initiatives to socially control the cybercultural transgressions, without applying coercion.