Chapter 6 What a B!tch!: Cyber Aggression Toward Women of Color

Felmlee, Diane; Rodis, Paulina Inara; Francisco, Sara C.

doi:10.1108/s1529-212620180000026008

Cited by 20 publications

(26 citation statements)

References 30 publications

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“…These frequent attacks on individuals who challenge the norms of heterosexuality further demonstrate attempts at gender regulation (Hlavka 2014). Finally, tweets that insult women of color with messages that emphasize gendered racial/ethnic stereotypes also are common (Felmlee et al 2018) and exhibit both sexist and racist norm enforcement.…”

Section: Cyber Aggressionmentioning

confidence: 93%

Sexist Slurs: Reinforcing Feminine Stereotypes Online

2019

Self Cite

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Social media platforms are accused repeatedly of creating environments in which women are bullied and harassed. We argue that online aggression toward women aims to reinforce traditional feminine norms and stereotypes. In a mixed methods study, we find that this type of aggression on Twitter is common and extensive and that it can spread far beyond the original target. We locate over 2.9 million tweets in one week that contain instances of gendered insults (e.g., "bitch," "cunt," "slut," or "whore")-averaging 419,000 sexist slurs per day. The vast majority of these tweets are negative in sentiment. We analyze the social networks of the conversations that ensue in several cases and demonstrate how the use of "replies," "retweets," and "likes" can further victimize a target. Additionally, we develop a sentiment classifier that we use in a regression analysis to compare the negativity of sexist messages. We find that words in a message that reinforce feminine stereotypes inflate the negative sentiment of tweets to a significant and sizeable degree. These terms include those insulting someone's appearance (e.g., "ugly"), intellect (e.g., "stupid"), sexual experience (e.g., "promiscuous"), mental stability (e.g., "crazy"), and age ("old"). Messages enforcing beauty norms tend to be particularly negative. In sum, hostile, sexist tweets are strategic in nature. They aim to promote traditional, cultural beliefs about femininity, such as beauty ideals, and they shame victims by accusing them of falling short of these standards.

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Section: Cyber Aggressionmentioning

confidence: 93%

Sexist Slurs: Reinforcing Feminine Stereotypes Online

2019

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“…In response to calls for further attention to online bullying of racial minorities (Zych, Ortega-Ruiz, and Del Ray 2015), next we examine tweets during that period that contain a racist slur, n!!ger. We chose that particular offensive term because it is one of the slurs used most frequently to demean individuals on the basis of race (e.g., Chaudhry 2015;Felmlee et al 2018;Wang et al 2014). Although bi!ch and n!…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…It is commonplace to find abusive language directed toward women and racial or sexual minorities online. These types of messages often reverberate through networks of interacting users (Felmlee, Inara Rodis, and Francisco 2018), with negative tweets reposted more rapidly and frequently than positive or neutral messages (Tsugawa and Ohsaki 2017). In response to public outcry, Twitter recently embarked on widely publicized policy changes to clarify existing standards and facilitate more reporting and removal of abusive content.…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Can Social Media Anti-abuse Policies Work? A Quasi-experimental Study of Online Sexist and Racist Slurs

Felmlee

DellaPosta

Rodis

et al. 2020

Socius

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The authors use the timing of a change in Twitter’s rules regarding abusive content to test the effectiveness of organizational policies aimed at stemming online harassment. Institutionalist theories of social control suggest that such interventions can be efficacious if they are perceived as legitimate, whereas theories of psychological reactance suggest that users may instead ratchet up aggressive behavior in response to the sanctioning authority. In a sample of 3.6 million tweets spanning one month before and one month after Twitter’s policy change, the authors find evidence of a modest positive shift in the average sentiment of tweets with slurs targeting women and/or African Americans. The authors further illustrate this trend by tracking the network spread of specific tweets and individual users. Retweeted messages are more negative than those not forwarded. These patterns suggest that organizational “anti-abuse” policies can play a role in stemming hateful speech on social media without inflaming further abuse.

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“…), warning others of predatory behavior, reducing feelings of isolation through social connections, and giving a voice to those often silenced. More intersectional research, however, is necessary to examine the effectiveness of technology in preventing Technology-Facilitated VAWG, both in the short and long term, as different groups have varied experiences online (Felmlee, Rodis, & Francisco, 2018;Powell et al, 2020).…”

Section: Limitationsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Technology-Facilitated Violence Against Women and Girls in Public and Private Spheres: Moving from Enemy to Ally

Marganski¹,

Melander²

2021

The Emerald International Handbook of Technology-Facilitated Violence and Abuse

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While research on digital dangers has been growing, studies on their respective solutions and justice responses have not kept pace. The agathokakological nature of technology demands that we pay attention to not only harms associated with interconnectivity, but also the potential for technology to counter offenses and "do good." This chapter discusses technology as both a weapon and a shield when it comes to violence against women and girls in public spaces and private places. First, we review the complex and varied manifestations of technological gender violence, ranging from the use of technology to exploit, harass, stalk, and otherwise harm women and girls in communal spaces, to offenses that occur behind closed doors. Second, we discuss justice-related responses, underscoring how women and girls have "flipped the script" when their needs are not met. By developing innovative ways to respond to the wrongs committed against them and creating alternate systems that offer a voice, victims/survivors have repurposed technology to redress harms and unite in solidarity with others in an ongoing quest for justice.

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Chapter 6 What a B!tch!: Cyber Aggression Toward Women of Color

Cited by 20 publications

References 30 publications

Sexist Slurs: Reinforcing Feminine Stereotypes Online

Sexist Slurs: Reinforcing Feminine Stereotypes Online

Can Social Media Anti-abuse Policies Work? A Quasi-experimental Study of Online Sexist and Racist Slurs

Technology-Facilitated Violence Against Women and Girls in Public and Private Spheres: Moving from Enemy to Ally

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