Loss of Trust: How Cybercrime Changes the Way Victims See the Internet

Abstract

The growing digitalization of contemporary existence has redefined victimization boundaries, transforming cybercrime into an essential psychological and social risk. This research examines the impact of cybercrime on reshaping human cognition and trust and the resulting Generalized Digital Distrust (GDD)—an adaptive cognitive disorder in which victims view all digital stimuli, such as harmless emails and reminders, as threats. Based on multidisciplinary literature, psychological theory, and policy documents, the study integrates quantitative findings and qualitative accounts to analyze emotional outcomes like anxiety (claimed by 63%), stress (73%), anger (86%), depression (18%), and suicidal thoughts (3%) in cybercrime victims.The study finds that the erosion of trust goes beyond cyberspace, impairing victims' social relations and self-concept via internalized blame, shame, and learned helplessness. GDD appears in the form of hyper-vigilance and cognitive distortion, which generates avoidance of required digital interactions, cyber fatigue, and final digital exclusion. Yet, a divergent adaptive pattern shows up, in which trauma-inducing conservatism promotes heightened cybersecurity practices—like multi-factor authentication and risk assessment—illustrating the double-edged nature of cyber-victimization.This study enriches the conceptualization of GDD as both a psychological and behavioral theory of post-cybercrime trauma. It promotes Trauma-Informed Computing (TIC) and cognition reflection–based interventions that rebuild digital confidence without inducing fear-based avoidance. The research concludes that cybercrime needs to be considered not merely as a financial or technical threat but as an invasive form of digital trauma calling for an integrative approach combining psychological healing, human-centered security design, and knowledge-based policy intervention in order to re-establish digital trust.