‘Today I Speak’: Exploring How Victim-Survivors Use Reddit

Abstract

Digital platforms, such as Twitter, Facebook and online communities on reddit, are increasingly used by victim-survivors across the world to post about their experiences of sexual violence. Emerging research suggests a variety of reasons why victim-survivors discuss their experiences online. This article contributes to this developing area of research by exploring the underlying motivations for victim-survivors using an online rape survivor community on reddit.This article questions how and why victim-survivors of sexual violence engage with digital technologies through content analysis of narratives posted to a public rape survivor forum on reddit. Overall, the study found that there are three primary motivators prompting survivors to access online communities: to find a supportive community; to seek advice; and for storytelling. The article uncovers some of the broader implications of online storytelling, suggesting that this is an important framework to consider online disclosures of sexual violence. Online communities like /r/rapecounseling might be conceptualised as spaces where counter-narratives of sexual violence are collectively shared.

Digitized narratives of sexual violence: Making sexual violence felt and known through digital disclosures

“…For several decades, feminist scholars have been interested in the narrative accounts of sexual violence in court cases, media, autobiographical accounts, and interviews (see Doherty and Anderson, 1998; Gunnarsson, 2018; Karlsson, 2019; Loney-Howes, 2018; O’Neil, 2018; Spry, 1995; Wood and Rennie, 1994). According to Young and McGuire (2003), the way people discuss sexually violent experiences is important because it shapes how they make sense of their assault.…”

“…In particular, digital campaigns have emerged to not only challenge sexual violence, but give victims a voice and provide them alternative forms of justice (see Drueke and Zobl, 2016; Fileborn, 2017; Loney-Howes, 2018; Olson, 2016; Powell, 2015; Salter, 2013; Wånggren, 2016; Wood et al, 2018). Many of these initiatives rely on sharing personal testimonials of violence, and scholars have begun to study the ways disclosures of violence are shared in digital spaces using digital devices and apps (see Bivens and Hasinoff, 2018; Dodge, 2016; Fileborn, 2019; Loney-Howes, 2015, 2018; Mendes et al, 2019; O’Neil, 2018). Bianca Fileborn (2019) argues that disclosure of sexual violence must be understood as a “curated” process in which careful decisions are made about whom to disclose, which experiences to share, and how narratives should be shaped.…”

“…1 Due to the sensitive nature of the topic and the importance of anonymity of contributors, we sought University ethics approval before beginning this project. Drawing from other studies of online disclosure of sexual violence, we have removed identifying information to preserve contributors’ anonymity (see Andalibi et al, 2016; O’Neil, 2018). 2 To study the #BeenRapedNeverReported hashtag using a Python script, we scraped all tweets published between November 2014 and March 2015, the time in which the hashtag was most active.…”

Silent Voices, Hidden Stories: A Review of Sexual Assault (Non)Disclosure Literature, Emerging Issues, and Call to Action

“…2 Online platforms may also offer some victims the first opportunity to have their voices heard or stories taken seriously, providing them with validation and affirmation (Clark 2010;Fileborn 2017). As Loney-Howes (2015) demonstrated, such spaces enable women to connect and build community across identity lines, wherein they can support each other, resist self-blame narratives, and take important steps toward healing and recovery (also Mendes et al 2019;O'Neill 2018). Additionally, many survivors see online disclosure as a political practice (Clark-Parsons 2019)-by voicing what has been silenced and ignored for so long, presenting an overwhelming number of narratives is crucial for raising awareness about the pervasiveness of sexual violence and "producing a history of rape, and of gender and power" (Serisier 2007: 88).…”

#MeToo in regional, rural and remote Australia: An analysis of regional newspapers reports profiling the movement

“…The CEO suggested "survivors need to find support offline", and strongly encouraged survivors to report to police rather than take matters into their own hands. Research predating the #MeToo movement indicates that digital communications technologies are important tools for survivors of sexual violence and domestic and family violence, helping to create and sustain supportive communities that are often not available offline (Fileborn, 2014;Harris, 2018;Loney-Howes, 2018;Mendes et al, 2019;O'Neill, 2018;Powell, 2015;Salter, 2013). However, in sharing experiences online survivors also risk being identified by others in their communities, which may have negative consequences.…”