Harmless evil in Cyberspace: Violence without violent acts and virtual harm

Authors

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.25062/2955-0270.4997

Keywords:

alterity, cyberspace, disinhibition, innocuous evil, virtual harm

Abstract

Cyberspace, a realm of virtual reality created by the electrical activity of computer equipment, is a kind of consensual hallucination, lines of light reaching the non-spaces of the mind, a non-place where interactions constantly occur between humans, avatars, data, algorithms, and emergent structures. Attracted by idyllic digital recreations that serve as a refuge, a large part of the world's population has moved there to escape an increasingly inhospitable real world. The nature of cyberspace is conducive to unleashing the strangest thoughts and darkest passions; it seems to have no limits and few regulations. There, improper practices bordering on criminality have arisen, shielded by anonymity and secrecy. These behaviors produce harmful phenomena—psychologically and physically damaging—that some researchers have termed virtual harm.

Author Biographies

Giovanni Alberto Gómez Rodríguez, Escuela Superior de Guerra "General Rafael Reyes Prieto", Colombia

Coronel (RA) del Ejército Nacional de Colombia. Postdoctorado en Constitucionalización del Derecho, Universidad de Messina, Italia. Doctor Cum Laude, Universidad de Barcelona, España. Máster en Gobierno y Administración Pública, Universidad Complutense de Madrid, España. Administrador de Empresas de Telecomunicaciones, Escuela de Comunicaciones del Ejército Nacional de Colombia, Colombia. Docente investigador, Escuela Superior de Guerra “General Rafael Reyes Prieto”.

Milena Elizabeth Realpe Díaz, Escuela Superior de Guerra "General Rafael Reyes Prieto", Colombia

Teniente Coronel del Ejército Nacional de Colombia. Magíster en Seguridad de la Información, Universidad de los Andes, Colombia. Magíster en Ciberseguridad y Ciberdefensa, Escuela Superior de Guerra “General Rafael Reyes Prieto”, Colombia. Especialista en Seguridad de Redes, Seguridad Física y Seguridad de la Información, Universidad Católica de Colombia, Colombia. Ingeniera de Sistemas, Universidad Cooperativa de Colombia, Colombia.

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How to Cite

Gómez Rodríguez, G. A. and Realpe Díaz, M. E. (2025) “Harmless evil in Cyberspace: Violence without violent acts and virtual harm”, Revista Ciberespacio, Tecnología e Innovación, 4(7), pp. 61–72. doi: 10.25062/2955-0270.4997.

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Published

2025-06-30

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