Background: Online victimisation during adolescence is associated with adverse outcomes across multiple domains. However, previous research has demonstrated that some adolescents are at greater risk of experiencing online victimisation than others. Literature on traditional peer victimisation has highlighted the importance of children’s early experiences and the family context but it is unclear how these factors relate to online victimisation. The first study reviews the evidence for associations between the phenomenon of cyber-victimisation (CV) and parenting behaviours, whereas the second study investigates online victimisation which includes experiences of online harassment and unwanted contact of a sexual or offensive nature. Aim: A systematic review was conducted to determine whether positive parenting behaviours protect against CV during adolescence. An empirical study investigated whether experiences of childhood maltreatment were associated with online victimisation and whether this relationship was mediated by attachment insecurity and risky electronic communication in an adolescent sample. Method: A systematic review of the literature identified seventeen studies which met inclusion criteria. Parenting behaviours were categorised into offline and online parenting behaviours and the findings from each study were reported. Studies were also assessed against 15 quality criteria. In the second study, 123 students aged 12- 16 were recruited. Five self-report questionnaires were administered measuring experiences of childhood maltreatment, attachment, risky electronic communication, electronic media use and online victimisation. Results: Offline parenting behaviours, particularly general monitoring, may reduce the likelihood of adolescents experiencing CV. There was greater variation in the findings relating to online parental mediation strategies, but in general these strategies did not consistently predict a significant increase nor a reduction in CV. The empirical study found that whilst attachment anxiety partially mediated the relationship between childhood maltreatment and online victimisation, attachment avoidance and risky electronic communication did not. However, childhood maltreatment and risky electronic communication were significant predictors of online victimisation. Conclusion: Parenting behaviours and early childhood experiences may play an important role in the victimisation of adolescents online. Interventions which promote positive parenting and attachment security may help to protect young people against online victimisation. However, more empirically rigorous and longitudinal studies are needed to enhance our understanding of the risk factors and the protective factors involved.

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This paper examines social aspects of computer and video gaming, includingplayers' perceptions of socialization surrounding gaming, its importance to theplayers, as well as factors that can lead to bad behavior online. In addition, adesign process based on the research results is showcased. The research issummarized and used as a basis for the design decisions. The purpose of thispaper is to contribute to the knowledge surrounding gaming and its impact onsocialization, with the goal of bettering our understanding of gaming in a social context. Through an analysis of existing literature together with empirical data collectedfrom users and other online platforms, this report aims to provide insights into thecauses and consequences of toxic behavior. The results indicate that severalfactors contribute to the occurrence of toxicity, e.g. anonymity, disinhibition,competition and other social dynamics in gaming environments. In addition, theconsequences of these negative interactions and how it affects players, such asmood and general experience, are examined. In addition, potential measures toreduce toxicity are discussed, along with the importance of promoting positivesocietal norms, implementing effective reporting and moderation systems, andpromoting empathy and inclusivity. Finally, a design proposal is presented thatrepresents an idea for an interface that facilitates the process of finding likeminded players, which previously has not displayed signs of toxicity. In conclusion, this report highlights the complex issue of toxic behavior in gaming. Delving into its causes and effects, this paper could provide valuableinsights for researchers and game developers to address and combat toxicity,ultimately fostering a more positive and inclusive climate around gaming. / Denna rapport undersöker sociala aspekter av dator- och TV-spelande, inklusivespelares uppfattning om socialisering kring spelandet, dess betydelse för spelarnaoch faktorer som kan leda till dåligt beteende online. Dessutom presenteras endesignprocess som baseras på forskningsresultaten. Forskningen sammanfattasoch används som grund för designbeslut. Syftet med rapporten är att bidra tillkunskapen om spelande och dess påverkan på socialisering, med målet att ökaförståelsen för spelande i en social kontext. Genom en analys av befintlig litteratur tillsammans med empiriska data somsamlats in från användare och andra plattformar online, ämnar denna rapport geinsikter i orsaker och konsekvenser av toxic behavior. Resultaten pekar på att flerafaktorer bidrar till att toxicitet uppstår, e.g. anonymitet, disinhibition, konkurrensoch andra sociala dynamiker i spelmiljöer. Utöver det undersöks konsekvensernaav dessa negativa interaktioner och hur det påverkar spelarna, som humör ochgenerell upplevelse. Dessutom presenteras potentiella åtgärder för att minskatoxicitet, samt diskuteras vikten av att främja positiva samhällsnormer,implementering av effektiva rapporterings- och modereringssystem, ochfrämjandet av empati och inkludering. Till sist presenteras ett gestaltningsförslagsom representerar en idé för ett gränssnitt som underlättar processen av att hittalikasinnade spelare som inte har uttryckt tecken på toxicitet. Sammanfattningsvis belyser denna rapport den komplexa frågan om toxicbehavior i spel. Genom att fördjupa sig i dess orsaker och effekter kan detta gevärdefulla insikter för forskare och spelutvecklare för att ta itu med och bekämpatoxicitet, för att i slutändan främja ett mer positivt och inkluderande klimat kringgaming.

The development of technology has created many platforms for entertainment, participatorycommunities and socialization online. One of the largest current platforms for live streamingis Twitch.tv with a focus on gaming and eSports. This is a male-dominated field wherewomen often face harassment and a non-welcoming community. This paper is a qualitativestudy of the negative communication towards female streamers on Twitch with a focus onthe context in which said communication takes place. The aim of the study is to understandthe circumstances in which negative communication occurs and how it changes dependingon context. The study takes a qualitative approach and analyses the content of six streamsfrom five different channels, as well the negative communication in their chat room. Theresults show that negative communication varies depending on the content as well as thenature of the community built around the channel.

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Background: Harassment is defined and labelled differently in different studies. In the context of video games it has been investigated multiple ways: diary studies, interviews, surveys and screen recordings. Methods: Video data through participating observation were conducted from the end of February 2024 to the beginning of April 2024. A total of 24 matches, with 219 participants, were recorded. The questions of how often harassment occurs, which of the five defined types of harassment occur, whether there are differences between game modes, what differences there are in terms of the reaction to harassment, and whether there are gender differences in terms of the victims, were investigated. Results: One third of the matches contained harassment. Offensive harassment occurred most frequently, with harassment occurring more frequently in competitive game mode and demonstrating a wider range of harassment. In most cases, harassment is focussed either on the player's own team or on the opposing team. The range of harassment within a team is also greater than when harassment is directed at the opposing team. In competitive game mode, harassment is mainly focussed on the own team. Conclusions: The results of the study support the findings of other studies. They also indicate that harassment in video games should be investigated with a larger number of influencing factors. In particular, the methodology used closes a research gap and could ensure a better insight into the different types of harassment without collecting the data through third parties and thus presumably causing bias.

Over the past decades, the scholarly discourse of violent video games as a possible influence for aggressive behaviors has gained much attention, primarily relying on the content of such games. This study aims to explore the environment of competitive multiplayer gaming interms of technicality (e.g. game mechanics), social interactions within a video game, and additional resources outside of the game as possible influential factors for toxic behaviors in competitive multiplayer games. Bourdieusian social theory is applied to gain a better understanding of the relationship between agents (players) and the field (competitive gaming) and the relevance of gaming capital. This study is based on a digital ethnographic approach to gain a comprehensive understanding of the gaming environment, and reports on semi-structured online interviews with 14 participants aged between 17-40, to gain insight on players’ perception and responses towards toxic behaviors in competitive games. This study proposes a spectrum of toxic behaviors in competitive multiplayer games, in which actions may be distinguished based on the form of expression (eg. verbal, physical or in-game). Primary findings suggest there may be a causal relationship between a player’s knowledge ofa game and their conveyance of toxicity, regardless of age and gender. The degree of toxicity may vary depending on the player, and is more frequently performed by men. Lastly, toxic behaviors should not be examined in isolation from contextual factors such as game mechanics or social interactions, but need to be further explored as a medium-specific phenomenon.

<p>    </p> <p>Social Media Platforms (SMPs) are used by almost 60% of the global population. Along with the ubiquity of SMPs, there are increasing Trust & Safety (T&S) risks that expose users to spam, harassment, abuse, and other harmful content online. <em>T&S Engineering </em>is an emerging area of software engineering striving to mitigate these risks. This study provides the first step in understanding this form of software engineering.</p> <p>This study examines how T&S Engineering is practiced by SMP engineers. I studied two open-source (OSS) SMPs, Mastodon and Diaspora, which comprise 89% of the 9.6 million OSS SMP accounts. I focused on the T&S design process by analyzing T&S discussions within 60 GitHub issues. I applied a T&S discussion model to taxonomize the T&S risks, T&S engineering patterns, and resolution rationales. I found that T&S issues persist throughout a platform’s lifetime, they are difficult to resolve, and engineers favor reactive treatments. To integrate findings, I mapped T&S engineering patterns onto a gen- eral model of SMPs. My findings give T&S engineers a systematic understanding of their T&S risk treatment options. I conclude with future directions to study and improve T&S Engineering, spanning software design, decision-making, and validation. </p>

Digital media have become an integral part of many people’s everyday lives and constitute an intimate presence therein. Utilizing the concept of digital intimacy to focus on these recent developments, this doctoral dissertation takes the perspectives of feminist cultural studies and affect theory to analyze how digital media are becoming more intimate and how in turn intimacy is remediated within digital cultures. This research brings together three different strategic examples of digital intimacy. The first is chosen from the context of online hate and harassment, and works to counteract digital forms of intimidation. The second is from the world of software development training initiatives tailored for women and designed to make them digitally intimate. The third investigates the digital subculture around ASMR (‘autonomous sensory meridian response’), which is an intimate multi-sensory stimulation induced by such things as online video clips. It is argued that these three initiatives are good illustrations of contemporary gender relations in digital cultures, and also do digital media differently. This  means that they develop and apply sometimes straightforward, sometimes rather playful strategies to counteract gender-based inimicalities (such as forms of discrimination or exclusion, or objectification) within digital cultures. The thesis argues that such digitally intimate strategies can be utilized analytically in order to contribute to contemporary feminist internet politics. / Digitala medier har blivit en integrerad del av och en intim närvaro i många människors vardag. Med hjälp av begreppet digital intimitet, som tar dessa förändringar på allvar, analyserar denna avhandling hur digitala medier blir mer intima och hur intimitet remedieras i digitala kulturer. Detta görs utifrån perspektiv hämtade från feministiska kulturstudier och affektteori. Tre olika strategiska exempel på digital intimitet diskuteras. Det första exemplet hanterar näthat och trakasserier online och utgör ett slags  motståndsstrategier. Det andra handlar om utbildningsinitiativ inom programmering riktade till kvinnor, ämnade att ge kvinnor större digital tillgång, närhet och närvaro. Det tredje fallet undersöker den digitala subkulturen kring ASMR (’autonomous sensory meridian response’), en intim multi-sensorisk stimulering som ofta understöds av videoklipp online. Det hävdas här att dessa strategiska exempel, först och främst, synliggör samtida genusrelationer i digitala kulturer, men även visar hur digitala medier gör genus på nya sätt. Med detta menas att i medierna både bevaras genuskonventioner och tillämpas nya, ibland lekfulla strategier för att motverka könsrelaterad fientlighet inom digitala kulturer. Avhandlingen hävdar att de tre studerade strategierna för digital intimitet kan användas analytiskt för att bidra till en samtida feministisk internetpolitik.