온라인 사적제재 참여 유형에 따라 개인의 심리적 임파워먼트에 차이가 있는가?

초록

The rapid digitalization of modern society has spurred the rise of online vigilantism, a phenomenon with dual characteristics: the pursuit of social justice and the potential to erode trust in judicial systems. This study explores the characteristics of online vigilantism participants by focusing on subdimensions of psychological empowerment, a framework that is particularly useful for understanding collective behaviors but has been underexplored in this context. Using data from a nationwide online survey of 1,000 adults conducted in January 2024, the study classified participants into distinct groups through two-step cluster analysis. Psychological empowerment was analyzed based on subdimensions proposed by Chang and Poon(2017), including cyber self-efficacy, perceived effectiveness of online vigilantism, and perceived effectiveness of the criminal justice system. Four participation types were identified: “active participants”, “passive participants”, “individual interest group”, and “involuntary exposure group”. Active participants showed high self-efficacy and critical attitudes toward the criminal justice system, perceiving their online actions as a means of achieving social justice. Passive participants viewed online vigilantism as effective but refrained from active involvement. The individual interest group displayed strong criticism of online vigilantism despite a high regard for the effectiveness of the justice system. In contrast, the involuntary exposure group demonstrated low perceived effectiveness of online vigilantism. These findings highlight significant differences across participant groups and suggest the necessity of tailored criminal justice policies. The study provides actionable insights but emphasizes the need for further research to identify the causes of online vigilantism and develop alternative solutions through in-depth causal analysis.

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