SOCIOLOGICAL METHODS OF CYBERCRIME RESEARCH

Abstract

The article examines sociological methods of cybercrime research as an independent and developing field of academic knowledge at the intersection of sociology, criminology, and information technologies. It analyses quantitative and qualitative approaches to the study of cybercrime, the specifics of survey methods, content analysis, ethnography of virtual spaces, as well as the possibilities of big data and digital analytics. Special attention is paid to methodological challenges associated with the latency of cybercrimes, the anonymity of the digital environment, and the transboundary nature of criminal activities. It is demonstrated that effective sociological research into cybercrime requires methodological pluralism and inter-sectoral cooperation. International and domestic empirical research experience in this field is reviewed, and promising directions for the development of methodological tools are identified.