An overview of digital violence in students of the Autonomous University of Aguascalientes, Mexico

Abstract

The aim of this article is to characterize the panorama of digital violence faced by university students. The study was located at the Autonomous University of Aguascalientes, Mexico and constitutes an approach to this problem based on the analysis of the practices of digital violence that prevail among the population studied, the repercussions generated by this violence and the actions that were taken to confront it. The method had a descriptive and exploratory scope and consisted of applying a survey to a sample of 262 students. The findings showed that digital violence practices are accentuated in those whose intention is harassment, threat or aggression. The aggressors were mainly ex-partners and unknown or anonymous people. Most of the student population indicated that the repercussions derived from the violent situations they experienced were of various kinds, although a significant proportion also indicated that there were no repercussions. A high percentage stated that they had not denounced these practices because they did not consider it serious or because they felt guilty. Among the measures that were taken in the face of this violence, it is worth noting to block, ignore or not answer the people, accounts or sites, from which the harassment comes. By way of conclusion, the need to recognize that digital violence is a problem present at the higher education level is raised and, in this sense, it is relevant to analyze and characterize it to guide prevention and care actions inside and outside the university environment.