Women's Perspectives on Harm and Justice after Online Harassment

Video

DOI

Social media platforms aspire to create online experiences where users can participate safely and equitably. However, women around the world experience online harassment, including insults, stalking, non-consensual sharing of sexual photos, and aggression. This article explores women's perceptions of harm associated with online harassment and preferred platform responses to that harm. We conducted a survey in 14 geographic regions around the world (N=3,993), including regions whose perspectives have been insufficiently elevated in social media governance decisions (e.g., Mongolia, Cameroon). Results show that, on average, women perceive greater harm associated with online harassment than men, especially for non-consensual image sharing. Women also prefer most platform responses, especially removing content and banning users, but are less favorable towards payment. Compared to men, women prefer banning users, revealing identity of perpetrators, and labeling content. We reflect on the importance of centering the experiences of people harmed when designing platform responses, as well as the complexity of justice models when considering gender.