Protecting Victims from Online Violence

In Lewinsky’s TED talk, she discusses the harassment she experienced in the internet age—the dissemination of information, rumors, and attacks has become more rapid and, as a result, more harmful than ever. There is also a significant gender gap among victims of cyberbullying in school—38 percent of girls vis-à-vis 26% of boys, who are statistically more likely to be the bullies, according to the Pew Research Center. During my time at Govs, there were several sexual assault cases that led to discipline actions. In almost all of these cases, the victim experienced harassment on digital platforms because they decided to come forward. As rumors and hostility quickly spread on social media platforms, such as Snapchat, victims of sexual violence are thus discouraged to reveal their experiences. Lewinsky’s argument about cyberbullying also made me think about how vulnerable we are. As so much of our daily communication happens on the internet, we are trusting corporations and service providers to handle some of our most private data. While it is important that one thinks carefully about what to publish online, laws and regulations should play a larger role in protecting citizens, especially more vulnerable groups, against privacy violations and online harassment.

Lewinsky’s talk also reminded me of a tweet that she wrote on January 26, 2020:

“[A] gentle reminder for ways other than using my name re 1998. let’s not frame it by the woman + youngest, least powerful person involved: The Starr Investigation; The 1998 Impeachment; The Scandal of 1998; The Clinton Impeachment; That Crazy, Fucked Up 1998.” 

This makes me think of what Mr. Robertson said earlier: language matters when it comes to how we think about gender. The language that we use in describing scandals, as the #MeToo era progresses, assigns blame and accountability; during a time when victims of sexual abuse are harassed online as they so bravely come forward to confront their abusers, the language used by media may either empower women or take agency away from them. This is perhaps another instance in which language determines whose narrative we believe in.