Investigating the experience of viewing extreme real-world violence online: Naturalistic evidence from an online discussion forum

Abstract

This study investigates the psychological impact of viewing user-generated content depicting extreme real-world violence. Eight threads were harvested from a publicly accessible online discussion forum in which people discussed their experiences of witnessing real-world torture, maiming or death online. Reflexive thematic analysis was used to systematically analyse these threads. The themes capture the contradictory ways in which people react to viewing extreme real-world violence online, with some finding it intensely distressing and others using it as a resource for psychological grounding or (perceived) strengthening. Based on this analysis, we highlight pathways that may lead to the cessation or continuation of viewing such content and argue that greater research on this seemingly common but under-studied experience is warranted.

Ecologies of Violence on Social Media: An Exploration of Practices, Contexts, and Grammars of Online Harm

“…The second area of research is concerned with how violence is represented through social media platforms, often from fields such as journalism (Mengü & Mengü, 2015), psychology (Stubbs et al, 2022), and criminology (Wood, 2017). In this line of scholarship the focus is often on how digital technologies enable the expansion of violent content over time and scale “circulat[ing] images of atrocity in real time, allowing a global audience to see acts of terror as they unfold” (Duncombe, 2020, p. 627).…”

“…As such, this area of research emphasizes how social media transforms the representation of violence and war under the new dynamics of media (Reguillo, 2011; Tait, 2008). Furthermore, literature on this area of research has shown that people who are more exposed to violence on social media have complex reactions to it, including being distressed, in need of self-care time, appreciative of their lives, desensitized, or just indifferent to it (Stubbs et al, 2022). Scholarship in this area highlights the importance of studying violence through different lenses of interpretation, as understanding the various modes of violence afforded by the internet enables researchers and policymakers to better respond to potential harms on digital platforms (Tait, 2008).…”

Exploring the Contextual Complexities of Violence on Digital Platforms: Intersections, Impacts, and Solutions

“…Several studies have observed a growing prevalence of violence perpetrated on and through digital platforms. For example, Stubbs et al (2022) argue that content depicting real-world violence is a common element of our contemporary digital landscape, resulting in severe psychological effects on platforms' users. In a similar vein, Matamoros et al (2023) have highlighted the pervasive nature of humorous digital content, often employed as a means to disseminate and exacerbate cultures of violence.…”