Revenge Porn Victimization of College Students: An Article Review
Larry Le
Department of Cybersecurity, Old Dominion University
CYSE 201S: Cybersecurity & Social Science
Dr. Leigh Armistead
October 1, 2023
Revenge Porn Victimization of College Students: An Article Review
A study by Branch, Hilinski-Rosick, Johnson and Solano (2017) studied how technology has provided new opportunities for sexually aggressive behavior and involvement in sexting and revenge porn. The purpose of their case study was to explore male and female college student experiences with someone sharing or posting a photo that was intended to be private and their perceptions about this behavior. The questions they asked in the study were women more likely to be victims and to what extent to which posting these pictures is actually revenge porn (done by an ex lover) or whether these pictures are being posted by others as a form of cyber harassment?
To back up and support their claims a multitude of studies were cited. A correlation of the amount of people that have a cellular device that is capable of accessing the internet to the number of individuals that engage in sexting (Lenhart, 2012). Comparing how our society sees sexuality as it relates to gender. From how it is more appropriate for women to show more nudity in pictures and how men idealize sexual aggressiveness (Schrock & Schwalbe, 2009). How cyber harassment victims are more likely to suffer from physical, mental and emotional problems than from students who didn’t experience cyber harassment (Sinclair, Bauman, Poteat, Koenig, and Russell, 2012).
Method
Participants were recruited through convenience sampling of first-year seminar classes at a private liberal arts university in a southern state of the United States.Every incoming freshman student at the university is required to complete the first-year seminar course. Participants were informed that the survey was voluntary and that their responses would remain anonymous; no identifying information was collected from participants. The questionnaire consisted of 18 questions and took an average of 20-25 minutes to complete. Survey participants were asked a series of questions designed to measure their attitudes towards, and participation in, sexting, forwarding private messages and pictures, as well as their experiences as victims of the sharing of private photos and how these experiences impacted them. The dependent variable in the study included whether a student had shared a nude or semi-nude photo of himself or herself, and if he/she had, whether that photo had been forwarded on to others. The independent variables included age, race, gender, measure of relationship and if they ever forwarded a private picture to someone else.
Results
The results indicate that more than half of the participants had sent a nude photo of themselves to someone else. Majority of those who had sent these pictures did so five or more times. Approximately 10% of the sample reported having a private photo shared beyond the intended recipient. These students were predominantly female, freshman, and 18 years of age. When students were asked how they felt about these pictures being sent, 53.5% of the students felt angry at the person who forwarded the photo and 33.3% were angry at themselves for initially sending the picture.
Discussion
The first way this topic relates to social science principles is from the concept of objectivity. Objectivity refers to the way that scientists study topics in a value-free manner. This study wasn’t created to promote an opinion or point of view. They surveyed 470 random students and asked them questions from their experience. They stated the facts and previous findings related to the topic. The second principle that was used was relativism. This could be understood as all things are related. In relation to the study they use this principle on the survey. Approximately half of the study participants had sent a nude photo of themselves to someone else.The survey also included items asking students about their perceptions of sexting and forwarding private pictures. 62.1% either agreed or strongly agreed that young people are pressured by their friends to send explicit pictures and nearly 50% either agreed or strongly agreed that young people are pressured by the media to send explicit pictures. The study draws correlations from peer pressure and social norms to the act of sexting. The third social science principle that was present in the study is ethical neutrality. Ethical neutrality refers to the fact that scientists must adhere to ethical standards when they conduct their research. At the beginning of the survey the participants were informed that it was voluntary and that their responses would remain anonymous; no identifying information was collected from participants. They protected the privacy and rights of the individuals.
Some other concepts from class that are prevalent in this article were; the use of surveys, victim precipitation, Maslow’s hierarchy of needs, and behavioral theory. Surveys provide contextualized information that researchers wouldn’t get any other way, which they used as their main method of data collection. Victim precipitation refers to how the victim’s behavior contributes to victimization. In the study, they highlight this concept by asking how they felt about these pictures being sent and 33.3% of the participants felt angry at themselves for initially sending the picture. The only reason some can forward a naked picture is if they first receive one. Maslow’s hierarchy of needs, concept of belongingness and love was presented by the questions asked in the survey. They made correlations between sexting and happiness in relationships. The participants also stated that they felt pressured by their friends to send the photos. Behavioral theory suggests the behavior is learned. An example of this in the study is the finding that students who also forward private pictures to someone beyond their intended recipient were most likely to have their own private picture shared as well.
Conclusion
One of the most important results of this study is how this topic relates to challenges and concerns of marginalized groups. The report suggests that having a picture shared that was intended to be private has a significant negative impact on the victim and that women are more likely to be victims of this behavior. Victims of cyber crime report sadness,depression and lower levels of trust in others. Also stated in the study is that nonwhite students were more likely to send and receive nude or semi-nude photos of themselves and also were more likely to share private photos with others. Besides the psychological consequences that this issue places on marginalized groups, it could potentially have serious legal consequences.
Overall this study is important because it leads to major societal contributions. It helped inform the audience of what revenge porn is and since this article has been published a new section of the US Federal Code helps protect victims with the ability to sue the accused in civil court. Secondly, it brings to light how the normalization of nudity in photos of female celebrities impacts the younger generation.
References
Branch, K., Hilinski-Rosick, C. M., Johnson, E., & Solano, G. (2017, June). Revenge porn
victimization of college students in the United States … International Journal of Cyber
Criminology. https://cybercrimejournal.com/pdf/Branchetalvol11issue1IJCC2017.pdf