Inthe 21st century Internet and the social media became an important part of ourpersonal asWellas professional lives and transported us to unexplored areas which were earlierinaccessible to us. Social media connected us to people who we had never met.The debate on the pros and cons of the World Wide Web is one that will continuefor long. However, it is undisputed that the internet and social media has beenused by criminals and non-criminals alike for furtherance of ill-conceivedobjectives.

TheOxford Dictionary defines deviant behavior as something that is departing fromnormal Standards. Deviance in a sociological context describes that behavior orthose actions that deviate from the prescribed social norm.Onlinedeviance can take the form of sexual deviance, self-harm groups and hategroups, hacking, cyber stalking cyber bullying, digital piracy et al.

Most ofthese qualify as cybercrimes in most countries including India. According to a study,Cybercrimes in India have increased from 13,301 in the year 2011 to 300,000 inthe year 2015.Out of the 92 million Facebook users of India 11% are between theages of 0-17 and 50% are between the ages of 18-24. Facebook users in Indiacomprise of.7.73%of the total Facebook users.

If a child of 12 were to indulgein sexual deviance on the internet this would lead him to have serious flaws inhis interpersonal skills. Also, if a teenager would affiliate himself to a self-harmor hate group on social networking sites this could lead to him being passiveaggressive or reclusive a victim of cyber stalking or cyber bullying would haveself-esteem issues or may also suffer from depression and have suicidalthoughts. In my paper I do not wish to completely ignore the benefits of theWorld Wide Web or the social media but I will elucidate their ill effects.

 KEYWORDS:Online deviance, Personality development, cybercrime, victims, offenders,Internet,social media, social networking sites. 1.INTRODUCTIONThe21st century saw the birth and the evolution of the Internet as well as socialmedia.

TheInternetunfastened an unexplored world of information and knowledge which in turnopened up new avenues for the humankind. Social media and social networkingsites connected us to people who we were not in touch with us and alsointroduced and help us meet new people who had similar aspirations andideologies. The debate as to the advantages and disadvantages of the World WideWeb is one that will continue till the end of time.

There are always going toarguments and discussions as to the use and misuse of social media and the Internet.TheWorld Wide Web is now being pervaded by criminals in furtherance of their ill-conceivedobjectives. Unfortunately, non-criminals get sucked into this virtual world andsubsequently become criminals. The Internet has now become one of thestrongholds of deviant behavior.

TheOxford Dictionary defines deviant behavior as something that is departing fromnormalStandards.Deviance in a sociological concept means that behavior which is not inconformity with the norms of the Society and thus becomes unacceptable. Allcrimes recognized under the Penal Statutes of a country are nothing butdifferent forms of deviant behavior.Onlinedeviant behavior refers to a range of activities that may be considered illegalor immoral or both.

This paper will refer to the following forms of OnlineDeviance, namely: 1.Cyber Bullying2.Cyber Stalking3.Sexual Deviance 2.ONLINE DEVIANCE AS CYBER CRIMESAspeople are becoming increasingly dependent on internet technology in theirpersonal as well as professional lives, the instances of computer crimes havealso increased. The most Vulnerable group that is children are worst affectedby cybercrimes not only in India but all over the world.

According to a study, Cybercrimesin India have increased from 13,301 in the year 2011 to 300,000 in the year2015.Out of the 92 million Facebook users of India 11% are between the ages of0-17 and 50% are between the ages of 18-24. Facebook users in India Compriseof.7.

73% of the total Facebook user’s in a study of most victimized nations ofcybercrimes india ranks second after China. As said earlier online deviance isillegal or immoral behavior done on social media websites or by using theinternet as a medium. The following are the types of onlineDeviancethat are also Cyber Crimes: 2.1Cyber BullyingThebully from the school or the playground and has now entered the virtual world.The Cyber bullying Research Centre in Jupiter, Florida defines cyber bullyingas the “willful and repeated harm inflicted through the use of computers, cellphones, and other electronic devices”. Cyber bullying can take the form ofangry or rude messages, repeatedly sending Insults or threatening messages,spreading cruel rumors, revealing something online which the person had sharedin confidence et al.8The most extreme form of cyber bullying occurs when aperson makes a fake profile of another and posts obscene or defamatory material.

India is ranked third in cyberbullyingworldwide and thirty percent of children accessing the Internet haveexperienced some kind of cyber harm.9According to Microsoft’s “Online youth BehaviorSurvey” fifty three percent of children in India between the ages of 8-17 were bulliedonline. 2.2Cyber StalkingCyberstalking is defined as using the Internet or other electronic means as a way toharass, intimidate, threaten, monitor or make unwanted advances towardsanother. It can involve direct communications through e-mails, chat rooms,bulletin boards or social sites such as Facebook, the surreptitious gatheringof information regarding the target, or covert observation.

Cyber stalking canbe scarier than actual stalking because in the case of the former you havenever come physically close to that person and you probably do not even knowhow he looks,. Stalkers on most occasions create a fake profile online with aspecific aim to stalk their victims behind the comfort of their computerscreens. Cyber stalkers are motivated by different aims such as reconcilingwith a partner, revenge on a partner, finding a new romantic partner, hate orintolerance for a particular group or person.

In this regard cyber stalkingcould also be labeled as a crime of passion. 2.3Sexual DevianceOnlinesexual deviance could take the form of pornography, pedophilia, posting and publishingsexual content on social networking sites. Pornographic material is so freely availableon the Internet these days that it is somehow inevitable that a child wouldhave seen pornographic content till the ages of 10-12.Some of the pornographicmaterial available online is extremely violent.

The internet is also a breedingground for pedophiles who lure young girls and boys in chat rooms and socialnetworking sites into performing sexual acts with them. A lot of people publishand post sexually explicit material of a former partner as a form of revenge.According to a study published in The Hindu, 1203 cases of publishing obscenematerial online including child pornography were reported. It is important tonote that these are only statistics for reported cases and that there are stilla large number of unreported cases.

 3.ONLINE DEVIANCE AND PERSONALITY DEVELOPMENTThevictims of aforementioned cybercrimes can have long lasting effects on theirmental and emotional health which in turn can be detrimental to their all-roundpersonality development. The most vulnerable victims of cybercrimes arechildren or adolescents and they are the ones who are most deeply affected bycrimes such as bullying, stalking and sexual deviance on the Internet. Bullyingon social networking sites can leave the victim with deep mental scars. Eventhough it may not take place in person, the emotional and psychological effectsof cyber-bullying are just as destructive. Victims of cyber bullying experiencea lack of acceptance in their peer groups and this result in loneliness andisolation. They become reclusive and they avoid social gathering or are reallyuncomfortable around people. Also, this can damage their self-esteem to a greatextent and in extreme cases it can lead to depression and suicidal tendencies.

They become quieter and less confident and this can adversely affect theiracademic progress as well. These behavioral tendencies if left unattendedpersist up to adulthood and can be really damaging personal and professionallives.Cyberstalking has similar effects such as cyber bullying on the personalitydevelopment of a person. Mostly young girls and women become a victim of cyberstalking and this leads to the feeling unsafe at all points of time. They canexperience psychological trauma as well as physical and emotional reactions.Some of these effects may include change in eating or sleeping patterns, anger,depression, nightmares, anxiety, helplessness, fear, shock and disbelief. Somevictims also suffer from some symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder suchas hyper vigilance. There also has a detrimental effect on a person’s sociallife as they avoid social situations.

The professional life may also sufferbecause the mind is always preoccupied with the fear that all her onlineactivity at every moment is subject to stalking by an unknown face.Tobe a victim of child pornography can have devastating long lasting effects onthe mental and emotional development of a child. The victimization of a childdue to pornography is one that never ends because they can never be fullyerased or removed from online databases. Victims also experience an overwhelmingsense of guilt, embarrassment. Once adults these children experience problemsin the sexual lives because of the fact that their idea of sexuality istarnished. Like victims of other cybercrimes they also experience stress which canfurther lead to depression and suicidal ideation. Victims of pedophilia,experience acute feelings of guilt, shame, despair and anger.

They startviewing themselves as only fit for sexual purposes. 4. DATA ANALYSIS Cybercrime ratesare analyzed using national data set from years 2012 and 2013 released under NationalData Sharing and Accessibility Policy (NDSAP) by the Ministry of Home Affairs, Departmentof States, and National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB). The data refers to statewise and Delhi cases registered under various sections of IT Act under CyberCrime. The data set touches upon a broad range of crime heads namely hacking((Section 66 (1) IT Act), Section 66(2) IT Act,Section 70 IT Act), information theft (Section 71 IT Act, Section 72 IT Act),cyber obscenity (Section 67 IT Act), Fraud (Section 73 IT Act, Section 74 ITAct), tampering computer source documents (Section 65 IT Act), and failure ofcompliance with concerned authority(Section 68 ITAct, Section 69 IT Act). India reported an increase from 2,876 to 4,356 in the numberof cybercrimes from the year 2012 to 2013. In 2012 and 2013, Maharashtrareported the highest number of cybercrime which was closely followed by AndhraPradesh, Karnataka, Kerala, and Uttar Pradesh. Assam, Goa, Haryana, MadhyaPradesh, Meghalaya, Orissa, Punjab and Uttarakhand reported a double digitincrease in cybercrime over 2012-13.

There were also variations in the increaseof different crime heads in different states. For example, while Goa, Haryana,Madhya Pradesh, Meghalaya, Orissa, and Punjab witnessed an increase in Hacking(Section 66 (1) IT Act); Assam and Uttarakhand saw an increase in cyberobscenity.                               Figure1. Types ofcyber crime 5.CONTROLLING AND PREVENTING CYBER CRIME5.1Cyber bullying Section66A of the Information Technology (Amendment) Act provides for a punishment forCyber bullying Section 66 A reads as: Punishment for sendingoffensive messages through communication service,etc.

Under Section 66 (A) of the IT Act, 2000, cyber bullying is a boilableoffence, punishable with three years of imprisonment and fine. However, the complainantand police can interpret what constitutes offensive behavior. 5.2Cyber StalkingAlthoughcyber stalking is not directly referred to in the IT Act, 2008, it is dealtwith by Section 72 and 72 A which deal with invasion of privacy of anindividual.

The most used provision for regulating cyber stalking in India issection 72 of the Indian information technology act (Amended), 2008.Section 72provides relief for Breach of confidentiality and privacy. The new Section 354D of the Indian Penal Code would also beneficial in dealing with cases of cyberstalking. S.354D of the IPC (as has been added by the Criminal Law Amendment Ordinance,2013) specifically deals with the offence of stalking. 5.3Sexual OffencesTheProtection of children from Sexual Offences Act criminalizes watching orcollecting pornographic content involving children. It also contains provisionsfor punishing Pedophiles or people involved in child sexual abuse.

 6.DEALING WITH VICTIMSVictimsof cyber bullying, cyber stalking, pornography and pedophilia need immense careand protection. It is imperative that parents of such victims are interactivewith them. Also, to prevent further occurrence of these crimes there must beparental supervision and vigilance of their child’s online activities. Childrenas young as 10 or 12 should not be allowed to access social networking sites.Alsoif there are severe emotional or mental effects a person should not feel shy orembarrassed to seek psychological or medical help.

Victims should be ready tostart afresh in spite of their harrowing experiences and in this the help offamily and friends is extremely necessary. 7.CONCLUSIONTheadvancement of technology in this day and age should not be used only tofurther the occurrence of crimes. On the other hand it should be used tocontrol and prevent crimes. Social media websites should foster a senseof security and privacy for their users and make sure that the incidents ofbullying, stalking and sexual deviance don’t go unreported.People inour country need to be made aware of the legislations and laws available tothem and even if they are aware they need to be empowered enough to talk aboutsuch incidents. Childhood and adolescent years shape our personality and thus itis very important to use the right quality and quantity of the internet andsocial media.

This should also be applicable to adults so as to not be ahindrance at their homes and their workplace. Psychologists are welcoming Initiativesby schools’ move to launch awareness programmers for students. Experts stressthat students should not believe anyone online as their profiles might be fake,explaining further that if someone tries to isolate you from your family andfriends, or turn you against your parents or make you keep secrets, these areall warning signs.8. CYBER ETHICSCyber ethics are nothing but the code ofthe internet.

When we practice these cyber ethics, there are good chances of ususing in a proper and in safer way. The below are a few of them:·        Do use the internet tocommunicate and internet the other people. Email and instant messaging make iteasy to stay in touch with the friends and family members and share your ideasand information with people across town or halfway around the world.·        Don’t be a bully on theinternet. Do not call the people names, lie about them, send embarrassingpictures of them.·        Do not operate the othersaccount using their passwords.·        Never share your personalinformation to anyone as there is a good chance of others misusing it andfinally you would end up in a great trouble.·        Never try to send any kindof malware into other’s systems and make them corrupt.·        When you’re online neverpretend to the other person and never try to create any fake accounts onsomeone else as it would land you as well as the person into the trouble.·        Always adhere to thecopyright information and download games or videos only if they arepermissible.·        Internet is considered asworld’s largest library with the stored information on any topic in any subjectarea, so using this information in a correct and legal way is also essential.