Addressing Gender-Based Harassment in Social Media: A Call to Action
Rachel N. Simons · 2015
Previous research indicates that women face a disproportionate amount of online harassment resulting from their identity as women. Despite its increasing prevalence, however, gender-based online harassment is still not well understood. Social media platforms are a critical medium for gender-based online harassment and the effects of this harassment on women can be devastating both to their personal lives and to their professional careers. While the field of Information Studies is uniquely positioned to address the serious problem of gender-based online harassment, there are significant gaps in key areas of the literature related to this problem. Critical research is therefore needed in order to produce key insights for empowering victims, for discouraging perpetrators, and for increasing awareness. This knowledge can also be grouped into three application areas: education, policy, and technological tools.