Editorial

We commence this edition with an invited paper by David DeMatteo, Suraji Wagage, and Jaymes Fairfax-Columbo on cyberstalking. Their paper considers the role of law and public opinion in this rapidly evolving area of study. One of the most interesting findings represents the difference between public opinion and the legal concept of cyberstalking; public opinion does not support the (legal) suggestion that cyberstalking should be considered alongside more general stalking. This reflects a move in the literature more generally that considers cybercrime distinct in many ways from contact offending. Indeed, it parallels considerably with the cyberbullying literature, which some would argue is simply another term for cyberstalking. What DeMatteo and colleagues present, however, is an interesting outline of current opinion in this area of work. The term “cyber action” is also used on occasion and this appears a far less emotive term to use than stalking. The lack of alignment between legal and public opinion provides a marked indication that this is perhaps the next area to focus on.

This is then followed by another novel paper on “negging” by Ruth Tully, Kathleen Green, and Zoe Kukan. This relatively new concept has evolved academically over recent years, moving from what was once described as courting-like behaviours to more advanced and explicit manipulation that could precede abusive intimate relationships. What is particularly useful about the contribution of the current paper is its focus on the range of different forms of “negging”; it moves readers from considering it purely as a dichotomous concept to one that has a range of variations. Questions that are unanswered are the role of men as potential victims of this behaviour and the existence...