Sexual Victimization Among Men: A Qualitative Analysis of the Twitter Hashtag #UsToo

Abstract

The present study sought to characterize use of the hashtag #UsToo on Twitter to disclose or comment on men’s experiences of sexual victimization. A sample of 281 original content, English-language tweets containing the hashtag were collected from Twitter over five consecutive weekdays. Thematic content analysis was conducted by a three-person coding team (full team consensus, achieving 100% agreement). Researchers categorized tweets as either a disclosure of victimization ( N = 6) or a response to this hashtag ( N = 275). When responding to the hashtag, users commented on the emotional impact of victimization, provided positive responses within the forum (i.e., advocacy, call to action, raising awareness, and prosocial reactions), and also engaged in negative responses within the forum (i.e., distracting attention away from the experiences of victims, egocentric responses which called attention to themselves or others, and otherwise harmful reactions). Despite the popularity of the #MeToo hashtag to disclose personal experiences of violence victimization, Twitter users were unlikely to utilize the hashtag #UsToo to disclose personal experiences of sexual victimization. Results highlight a divergence between online behavior in response to a call for men’s disclosure of sexual victimization using the hashtag #UsToo versus online behavior in response to a call for women’s disclosure of sexual victimization using the hashtag #MeToo.

Sexual health information on social media: a systematic scoping review

“…(2019b; [ 46 ]) Twitter Qualitativ – Laien – 1 – 13 Bogen et al. (2020; [ 27 ]) Twitter Qualitativ – Laien + 1 – 14 Breen et al. (2016; [ 47 ]) Twitter Quantitativ computational – – – 1 – 15 Briones et al.…”

“…In diesem interdisziplinären Forschungsfeld geht es um sexuelle Gesundheitsinformationen, die von Gesundheitsprofis und/oder von Gesundheitslaien entwickelt und über das Internet öffentlich verbreitet werden. Dabei kann es sich um Websites [ 23 ] oder um Inhalte auf Social-Media-Plattformen wie Facebook [ 24 ], YouTube [ 25 ], Instagram [ 26 ] oder Twitter [ 27 ] handeln. Entsprechende Inhalte sind in der Regel kostenfrei und niedrigschwellig zugänglich.…”

Understanding the Emotional Intelligence Discourse on Social Media: Insights from the Analysis of Twitter

“…Due to its increasing popularity, Twitter is being used in varied domains of practical and academic research, including stock market forecasting and predictions ( Bollen et al 2011 ; Sóti et al 2020 ), brand management ( Zimbra et al 2016 ; Lalicic et al 2020 ), crisis management ( Kersten and Klan 2020 ; Wang et al 2021 ), healthcare ( Alotaibi et al 2020 ; Masip et al 2020 ; Talbot et al 2021 ), finance ( Souza et al 2015 ; Mao et al 2011 ), information technology and information systems ( Castillo et al 2011 ; Ruz et al 2020 ), supply chain management ( Chae 2015 ; O’leary 2011 ), and psychology ( Bogen et al 2020 ; Dodds et al 2011 ).…”

A Qualitative Analysis of How Individuals Utilized the Twitter Hashtags #NotOkay and #MeToo to Comment on the Perpetration of Interpersonal Violence

“…Whereas much is now known regarding the correlates of in-person interpersonal violence disclosure, individuals are increasingly turning to social media to share experiences of interpersonal violence (Bogen, Bleiweiss, et al, 2021; Bogen et al, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2022; Bogen, Orchowski, et al, 2021; Weathers et al, 2016). A range of social media platforms like Twitter, Facebook, and Reddit have been used by survivors to share experiences of intimate partner violence, sexual violence, physical abuse, workplace harassment, and obstacles to leaving abusive partners (Cravens et al, 2015; McCauley et al, 2018; Scarduzio et al, 2019).…”