1 out of every 5 Israelis experienced surveillance or harassment on social networks in the past year

1 out of every 5 Israelis experienced surveillance or harassment on social networks in the last year; In the past year, every fifth Israeli experienced curses and hatred aimed at him online; 1 out of every 10 Israelis has experienced the distribution of intimate or embarrassing photos of him without his permission; The Israelis state that the two groups most attacked in the networks are the ultra-orthodox society and the Arab society; Israelis who have been exposed to online violence state that Facebook is the most violent social network (82%), followed by a wide margin by WhatsApp (26%) and Instagram (24%)
Hatred, harassment, disclosure of intimate details and violent discourse - a new survey by the Israel Internet Association (IIA) conducted by the "Mind Pool" research institute reveals harm to quite a few Israelis. The data also shows that violent discourse affects the public of surfers and causes most of them to avoid Christianity and expressing positions in the online space.
22% of Israelis testified that during the past year they personally experienced swearing and abuse on social networks, 18% of Israelis testified that they personally experienced surveillance or harassment, while almost one in ten Israelis, 9%, testified that intimate or embarrassing photos of themselves were distributed without their permission. It should be noted that no significant differences were found between men and women in the answers to these questions.
The Israelis were also asked to rate the various social networks according to their degree of exposure to violent discourse in them. 82% of Israelis who were exposed to abusive speech towards another person or some public, indicated Facebook as the social network where the harm occurred. Further down the list you can find WhatsApp with 26%, Instagram with 24%, Twitter with 17%, Tiktok with 16%, YouTube with 9% and Telegram with 9%.
Over half of the public (52%) claimed that the discourse in the online space is "violent to a great extent or to a very great extent" and another over a quarter of the public (27%) claimed that it is "moderately violent", only 15% of the public believes that the discourse is not violent. Women experience the online space as more violent - 58% of women answered that it is violent to a great extent or to a great extent.
According to Israelis, the most attacked social groups in the past year are the Arab society and the ultra-orthodox society (33%), followed by women and girls (27.5%) and the LGBT community (23.7%), immigrants from Russia and the Commonwealth of Nations, the Ethiopian community, refugees and migrant workers ( about 6.5% for each).
Many in the Israeli public often or very often avoid posting online or expressing an opinion online due to fear of a violent or offensive reaction (42%); 31.1% avoid this only occasionally or rarely. 14.9% do not refrain from posting or expressing an opinion online for fear of a violent or offensive response. 12% answered that they don't know if they avoid it or chose other answers. Women were more likely to answer that they often or very often refrain from expressing a reaction or posting on the social network due to fear of an offensive reaction compared to men (46.2% vs. 37.8%).
Most of the public (55%) does not believe in platforms that will work to remove violent content and therefore refrains from reporting.
Many testified that they rarely use the reporting mechanisms available on the networks to report offensive accounts and content (40%), or do not use the mechanisms at all (38%), due to a lack of trust that the social networks take reports seriously or because they do not know how to use the mechanisms the report. Only 15% answered that they often use the reporting mechanisms and 7% answered that they did not know or chose other answers. 43% of the public chooses to block the offender rather than respond or defend himself. Women tend to block the abuser more than men Blocking the abuser is undoubtedly an action that prevents discourse and sometimes transmits a different kind of violence. Blocking the aggressor on the one hand and preventing a response for fear of bullying originates from the same phenomenon of the violent discourse and the fear of it.
And what about the influence of politicians on the toxic discourse? The grade given to them by the public is not particularly encouraging. 39% of the public points to the politicians and members of the public as a major factor in influencing the discourse in the online space: many in the Israeli public believe that the content that members of the Knesset and elected officials publish on social networks has a very negative effect on the general discourse on the Internet (39% believe that it has a very negative effect, 24% believe that it has a slight negative effect ). 15.5% answered that they do not know, 12.1% believe that there is no effect, and only 9.4% indicated a positive effect.
Orna Hailinger, director of the Israel Internet Association's Netika Center for Optimum Use of the Internet, said following the survey findings: "The survey data overwhelms the fact that the Internet reflects the public's feelings that general violence and online violence affect our lives in a tangible way. The public points to politicians as a major factor that affects The discourse is on the one hand and it is up to him to lead the change on the other hand. There is no doubt that we are all required to take part in the recession of the discourse. Both as individuals and as adults who are supposed to be a personal example to young people, these are the key parameters that will ultimately affect the various platforms that have become a violent and sometimes dangerous arena."