CAPE TOWN - Microsoft revealed its Digital Civility Index report for 2017. The study examines the extent of negative behaviors and online interactions of 23 countries.
When ranking, Microsoft looks at four main areas which are: Intrusive contact, behavioral, sexual and reputational.
Other areas include acts such as discrimination, cyberbullying, revenge porn etc.
Out of the 23 countries, South Africa ranked 22nd. This means that South Africans are not behaving themselves when online.
( Image provided by Microsoft’s Digital Civility Index (DCI)
According to the four main areas, This is how SA ranked compared to the global average:
Intrusive: SA(71%), Global ( 56%)
Behavioural: SA (47%), Global: (39%)
Sexual: SA (39%), Global: (31%)
Reputational: SA (23%), Global: (18%)
The results are build on last year’s study and were based on interviews with teens between the ages of 13 -17 and adults ages 18-74.
Here are a few results that the report outlined:
1. 27% of South African respondents had received an unwanted sex message compared to 21% globally.
2. 89% of respondents had experienced online nastiness and the perpetrators of this nastiness are often people the respondents knew.
3. 44% of respondents said they knew the perpetrator prior to the abuse happening.
4. 26% said they had become depressed after suffering abuse online
5. 13% had thoughts of suicide.
6. 31% of Respondents aged between 13 and 17 said they had suicidal thoughts after being abused online in some form or another.
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