Cyberflashing is a form of gendered sexual violence that must be taken seriously

[Pelican Press 0]

Cyberflashing is a form of gendered ******* ********* that must be taken seriously

Credit: Unsplash/CC0 Public Domain

Sexting—sending ********* suggestive or explicit messages and images—is now a widespread practice, and can be a healthy way to express and explore sexuality. However, there is a need to distinguish between consensual sexting and forms of ******* harassment like cyberflashing.

Cyberflashing refers to the act of non-consensually sending ******* imagery (like nudes or “***** pics”) to another person. It is facilitated through communications technologies including text, AirDrop and social media applications like Snapchat and Tinder.

Similar to flashing—when a person unexpectedly and deliberately “flashes” their genitals to others—that occurs in person, cyberflashing involves an intrusive denial of autonomy and control. It can lead to people feeling distressed, objectified and unsafe.

And like flashing, which involves physical proximity to the person, cyberflashing can occur through location-specific technology like

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. A cyberflasher may also access further information about the recipient online, including their name and location.

Cyberflashing is often

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and perceived as something to

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, but it is a form of gender-based ******* ********* that must be taken seriously.

My research on technology-facilitated gender-based *********, including

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, highlights the need for legal and societal responses to these emerging challenges.

Gendered targets

In 2018,

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found that 11 percent of women and six percent of men aged 15 or older were sent unwanted ********* suggestive or explicit images or messages.

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, that increased to 25 percent of women and 10 percent of men.

Cyberflashing studies from

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and the

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suggest higher rates of cyberflashing, with women still being the most targeted.

While further intersectional data is not available for explicit images, generally women with disabilities, Indigenous women and ********* women face a high prevalence of online harassment overall.

Cyberflashing can also occur alongside

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including stalking, ******* harassment and physical threats.

A short documentary by the Thomson Reuters Foundation about the increasing number of women cyberflashed by nearby strangers in public.

Violating impacts

The impacts of cyberflashing are compounded by contextual factors. In one case,

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. Another factor involves location: for instance, women in Montréal received

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, while British students were cyberflashed

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.

A study of 2,045 women and 298 gay or ********* men in the ******* States found that women reported

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that left them feeling grossed out, disrespected and violated.

The same study found that, although gay and ********* men received high rates of cyberflashing, they reported more positive reactions, showing how gender and ******* orientation may impact experiences of *********. It is important to situate this finding in terms of unequal gender dynamics, social expectations that men should appreciate ******* advances and a broader culture wherein

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.

The result of cyberflashing is women engaging in “

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,” including restricting or changing their movements and communication. Such emotional and physical labor is time-consuming and can limit women’s

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.

***** culture

Cyberflashing reflects and reinforces

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wherein ******* ********* is normalized and consent is viewed as unnecessary. There is an assumption in cyberflashing that the unsolicited ******* content will be positively received despite the lack of consent.

When ************* men were asked what

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, the majority of them said that they were after a positive reactions like ******* excitement and attraction. A significant ********* of men, however, sought negative reactions like shock, disgust and *****.

This frequent, mistaken belief from ************* men that there will be a positive reaction to cyberflashing may be because they are

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.

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, ***** culture in society more broadly results in belittling ******* ********* and victim-blaming. This is reflected in advising women to simply ignore unwanted images and in the wrongful assumption that

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.

Moving towards consent

Canada can address cyberflashing by exploring criminalization, a method already present in

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and

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.

Criminalization of cyberflashing

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by making it an ******** act with potential consequences. Currently in Canada, only individuals sending ******* content to youth under 18 may face ********* charges under

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if done with the intent to commit an offense such as ******* exploitation, trafficking and indecent exposure.

However, criminalization is limited, given the lack of cyberflashing reporting. Survivors of ******* ********* may also distrust the ********* justice system due to its harmful treatment of survivors, especially survivors who face structural oppressions including anti-****** racism and ableism.

A promising alternative to criminalization is

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, an approach to addressing harm that focuses on healing, community accountability and societal change.

Another aspect of ending cyberflashing requires the participation of social media platforms, which can use technology, including artificial intelligence, to detect ******* content and block it unless the user decides to accept. This approach is used by

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and

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.

Finally, there is a need for ****-positive **** and

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that differentiates sexting from ******* harassment like cyberflashing. Rather than stigmatizing sexting overall, age-appropriate practices should be promoted on how to meaningfully and consensually communicate about ****.

Provided by
The Conversation

This article is republished from

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under a Creative Commons license. Read the

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Citation:
Researcher: Cyberflashing is a form of gendered ******* ********* that must be taken seriously (2024, May 27)
retrieved 27 May 2024
from

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