Anna Gjika

In 2017, the #MeToo movement garnered international attention when millions of people used the hashtag to share personal experiences of sexual violence. The present study examines how noncelebrity users discussed their experiences of sexual victimization through a qualitative and quantitative content analysis of a random sample of #MeToo tweets ( N = 1,427). We found that survivors prioritized details about the “who,” “what,” “where,” “when,” “why,” and “how” of trauma in their disclosures. Key themes in their responses included child sexual abuse (22.7%), long-term adverse effects (17.6%), and polyvictimization (10.4%) across the life course. Survivors also utilized #MeToo to highlight the prevalence of violence against women (26.4%) and offer critiques of rape culture and social structures (23.9%) as indirect causes of their victimization and subsequent negative experiences. Our analysis demonstrates the utility of Twitter for broadening current understandings of the context in which sexual violence occurs, while also offering a nuanced analysis of the persisting difficulties many survivors face in narrating personal experiences of violence.

Despite several high-profile cases and years of #MeToo activism, a lack of systemic change and consistent consequences for many alleged offenders has led journalists and fans to wonder when the popular music and stand-up comedy industries will truly have their ‘MeToo moment.’ In this article, we explain that this moment has already arrived, but has produced inconsistent results in these industries due to the unique cultural and structural obstacles they share, and which frustrate civil sphere actors’ attempts at civil repair. Our analysis draws on Jeffrey C. Alexander’s (2018, 2019) theory of societalization – the process by which institutional crises come to be seen as social problems that demand the intervention of civil sphere actors. We argue that where #MeToo and the popular music and stand-up comedy industries are concerned, the process of societalization has been (and will likely continue to be) ‘blocked’ or ‘stalled’ (Alexander, 2018, 2019). We suggest that the potential for societalization is reduced due to a combination of the arts sphere’s anti-civil values and weak institutionalization in the popular music and stand-up comedy industries.

Social media and digital platforms are being used to disclose sexual and dating violence experiences and to unite victims/survivors in social, educational, and advocacy efforts. While digital disclosure can be empowering, there are reasons why some individuals do not disclose. This article focuses on the nuances underlying decisions to (and not to) disclose victimization experiences online, and also presents a call to action, particularly for researchers and practitioners working on sexual violence intervention and prevention. Through a comparative, international literature review, the authors highlight research on factors affecting disclosure decisions while also considering contemporary issues that may impact these decisions. They conclude that, in responding to victims’ and survivors’ “justice” needs (e.g., physical and emotional safety, conscious choice, and empowerment), an intersectional feminist lens is essential in today’s complex digital world in affording an understanding of variation in disclosure practices. When combined with trauma-informed care, such an approach holds promise for transforming existing online environments into more inclusive and compassionate socio-technological spaces.

This study examines news coverage of the Steubenville, Audrie Pott and Daisy Coleman cases, three highly publicized instances of sexual assault featuring teens and the use of digital media to capture and distribute the incidents. Thematic analysis of 146 articles on the assaults was conducted to identify mainstream media portrayals of emerging technologies in relation to each sex crime, and the problem of sexual assault and rape culture, more broadly. Prevailing news themes in the reporting include technology as a model witness, evidence-gatherer and mobilizer, and threat. The focus on technology in these stories, I argue, detracts from considerations of the underlying sexual violence and its causes, and contributes to the media reframing the incidents as cautionary tales about youth and social media. My analysis also suggests the discourses about digital media in the coverage reinforce existing deterministic understandings of new media platforms, and reproduce risk and responsibilization narratives pertaining to youth, sexuality and technology.