Online Blaming and Intimate Partner Violence: A Content Analysis of Social Media Comments

Abstract

Social media has become a ubiquitous form of interacting and sharing information. However, comments on social media sites are often aggressive and contemptuous, especially when topics are controversial or politically charged. For example, discussion of intimate partner violence (IPV) tends to provoke strong reactions from outsiders, who make angry or blaming remarks about those involved. Although IPV is common, it has not been widely discussed in popular media until recent years when high-profile cases of abuse have come to light. In 2016, a celebrity accusation of domestic violence led to thousands of comments on social media, with outsiders weighing in about who was at fault and what should be done. This study involved a content analysis of 400 of these comments, with the intent of better understanding typical types of social media reactions to domestic violence accusations. Key themes included judgment and blame, with around 37% of commenters blaming the supposed victim in this case, while only 9% blamed the alleged perpetrator. The findings show how people comment about domestic violence and illustrate the contentious and often distorted nature of social media interactions. Implications for professionals and researchers are discussed.

Barriers to and facilitators of help-seeking behavior among Israeli men who experience intimate partner violence: A qualitative study.

“…Responses to men’s disclosure of victimization that provided direct advice on how to get help and insisted that the men leave their relationships or report to the police were perceived as appealing and beneficial. This contradicts other findings regarding female IPV victims that such a demanding form of response could deter women from help-seeking, because it takes the agency from the survivor (Whiting et al, 2019). It might also conflict with the need of male victims to autonomously assess and cope with IPV (Dixon et al, 2020).…”

“…The online support provided a setting for a critical discussion of violence, lessening the sense of isolation in the real world, as well as facilitating further help-seeking by enforcing a cross-gender struggle against violence. This is consistent with the findings of the benefits of online support groups regarding highly stigmatized issues, such as IPV, especially regarding victims that do not fit the assumed survivor profile of weakness (Whiting et al, 2019).…”

Transmuting Girls Into Women: Examining the Adultification of Black Female Sexual Assault Survivors Through Twitter Feedback

“…Social media is an effective mechanism for information dissemination and has inspired social action (see Whiting et al, 2019). Through social media, marginalized groups have been able to bring attention to issues that traditional mainstream media newspaper articles and television stories have ignored.…”

A digital job application reference: how do social media posts affect the recruitment process?

“…Other negative behaviors, according to recruiters, may include immoral SM posts (Abel et al. , 2020; Quinn, 2016; Whiting et al. , 2019).…”

“…While some researchers argue that it is a social need (Krishen et al, 2016;Wang et al, 2012), others see it as a technology addiction (Longstreet and Brooks, 2017), a technological communication frenzy (Katambwe, 2020), and everyday behavior or sharing for various purposes. These include sharing locations, events, emotional situations, communication between individuals or groups, liking others' posts, commenting, starting discussions, questionnaires, ratings, promotions and marketing, announcements, and invitations (Branley and Covey, 2018;Quinn, 2016;Whiting et al, 2019). People may even encounter unexpected reactions or threats while socializing through such posts.…”