Social media representation of female genital cutting: A YouTube analysis

Abstract

Introduction: Female genital cutting is a practice that has incited controversy and conflicting discourses across the international community. There is a need to analyze social media data on the portrayal of the practice in order to gather insights and inform strategic planning and interventions design. This study aims to explore and describe the portrayal of female genital cutting in the comments section of YouTube comment posts. Methods: This mixed-method study employs a content analysis approach with a sequential exploratory design. A total of 150 YouTube comment posts were analyzed through qualitative content analysis and quantitative descriptive content analysis on NVivo 11 and Microsoft Excel, respectively. Results: Salient subthemes from the qualitative component included likening female genital cutting with male genital cutting, differentiating female genital cutting from male genital cutting, branding female genital cutting as a harmful and unethical practice, branding female genital cutting as a normal tradition, contribution of religion and culture to female genital cutting, gender inequality issues, and the need for education or cultural relativism to change or cope with the practice. The quantitative component identified neutral, positive, mixed, and neutral tones; and formal, colloquial, and mixed language types; as well as targets of stigma with patterns in the themes. Conclusion: The portrayal of female genital cutting in the YouTube comment posts revealed the range of perceptions, beliefs, and opinions of users with various stances on the practice. Study findings are useful for strategic planning and the development of interventions with informative goals. Study findings can also help to gage and evaluate the effectiveness of existing programs that aim to reduce misinformation about female genital cutting or aim to reduce stigmas surrounding the practice.

Six aspects of female genital mutilation education (SAFE) model: findings from a qualitative study

“…It is also important to avoid the use of biased FGM education messages and overexaggerating because it can be stigmatising. 32 Finding a balance, as our findings suggests, as well as adding humour to the education messages can promote effective interventions.…”

“…Education messages need to be guided by the results of baseline evaluations of their target audience as regards their knowledge about FGM and human body anatomy. It is also important to avoid the use of biased FGM education messages and overexaggerating because it can be stigmatising 32. Finding a balance, as our findings suggests, as well as adding humour to the education messages can promote effective interventions.…”

Use of machine learning methods to understand discussions of female genital mutilation/cutting on social media

“…Moreover, social media offers the opportunity to analyze how issues are framed within a conversation space, as they contain longitudinal information and user-to-user replies. However, few studies to date have used social media data to analyze FGM/C discussions [21].…”

Use of machine learning methods to understand discussions of female genital mutilation/cutting on social media

“…However, few studies to date have used social media data to analyze FGM/C discussions. 21 We aim to characterize the substance of conversations about FGM/C on Twitter between 2015 and 2020 and assess any changes over time. Our analysis focuses on conversation prevalence, geographic distribution, framing and themes, frequently used terms, characteristics of users engaging in the conversation, and factors influencing engagement.…”