As per the Datareportal January 2023 global overview, nearly 4.76 billion people—accounting for more than half of the global population (59 percent)—are active on social media with approximately 137 million new users having joined over the past 12 months. There thus, remains little doubt that society has now been well conditioned to easily and effectively function—work, communicate, educate, attend academia, etc—through the digital realm, predominantly via social media.
But while social media platforms were originally created to provide a safe space for communication, sharing information, foster connection and creativity amongst users, their negative impact on real-world communities has been rather complex and is swiftly evolving. This rapid advancement and widespread reach of technology has, in fact, created new, highly accessible channels for the dissemination of disinformation, sowing divisiveness and contributing to real-world harm in the form of violence, persecution and exploitation.
And like any other institution of society—which reinforce the dominance of men and the patriarchal social values—even these social platforms today have become a powerful vehicle for misogynistic threats and harassment that subsequently result in silencing women and creating a multitude of hostile gender abuse. To put it simply, owing to its wild characteristics, provision of anonymity and massive reach, social media companies like Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube, etc. have ended up providing an additional fertile ground for gender-based violence to an alarming extent with little accountability.
As a result, over the past recent years, women all around the world have become more and more susceptible to technological crimes including morphing, cyberstalking, phoney profiling, cyber bullying, etc. In fact, not a day goes by when we don’t get to hear about some woman or girl falling victim to non-consensual image or video sharing, intimidation and threats including rape and death threats, online sexual harassment, impersonation or economic harm via digital means. In some cases, these actions also result in physical violence against women or lead to the victims having suicidal thoughts.
And while lack of comprehensive and accurate data collection in this sphere often results in information being fragmented and incomplete, these day-to-day stories and personal encounters are sufficient to conclude that the magnitude of digital violence against women and girls remains colossal, having an impact on society as a whole. The latest data—as presented by the Institute of Development Studies in 2021—in fact, suggests that the prevalence of online and information and communication technology-facilitated violence against women and girls ranges from 16 to 58 percent. The situation is even worse for women and girls who are at risk of or exposed to intersecting forms of discrimination. According to Amnesty International, women of colour are more impacted by online violence or through digital means in comparison to white women, as black women are 84 percent more likely to receive abusive tweets on Twitter.
Besides, women belonging to ethnic or religious minorities are also particularly vulnerable to violence on social media and are often made the prime targets of sexting, revenge pornography, cyberbullying, etc. A prominent example of this was recently seen in India where digital apps like Sulli Deals and Bulli Bai were created—in 2021 and 2022 respectively—with photos of hundreds of Muslim women maliciously displayed for “auction.”
Rivals have also hunted down activists, journalists, and female political leaders, who openly express their personal opinions on digital platforms. Social media, therefore, in no way provides a fair platform for women to express their individual opinion without fear. As per the 2021 report published by the International Centre for Journalists (ICFJ) and the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCRO), out of 714 female journalists, nearly three of four said they had suffered online abuse in their work and nearly four of 10 said they became less visible as a result of it. And least we forget that women who are forced to remain silent and are repeatedly humiliated or discredited, can in no way be said to be living with dignity. The prevalence of online gendered violence and abuse thus, not only leads to the violation of freedom of speech and expression, but also results in the violation of the right to dignity. It is therefore safe to say that the digital dimension of gender-based violence has a serious impact on the lives of women, including their physical and psychological health, safety, family ties, livelihoods and reputation.
Yet, in country after country, social media platforms have largely failed to tackle abuse and disinformation against women, often turning a blind eye to the requests raised by users or civil society actors to ban derogatory content, while pledging to make small changes that are merely cosmetic. The need of the hour is perhaps to develop comprehensive approaches and legal frameworks, which focus on transparency, accountability and duty of care for social media companies with respect to the damage that is caused by their products.
The writer is a Visiting Fellow with the Observer Research Foundation. Some of her works have appeared in South China Morning Post, The Hindu, Firstpost, Hindustan Times, The Diplomat, The Toronto Star, among several others. She tweets at @akankshakhullar. Views are personal.
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