Media discussions of sexual violence have increased since the rapid growth of the social media movement #metoo. Specifically, the phrase resurfaced in abundance in 2017 when actress, producer, activist Alyssa Milano encouraged her social media followers to reply “me too” if they had ever been sexually harassed or assaulted. In addition to raising awareness, media coverage of historically silent topics such as sexual assault can be beneficial as it relates to widespread education. Conversely, widespread dissemination of sexual violence misperceptions—also known as rape myths—can perpetuate rape culture (e.g., linking sexuality to violence and the subsequent normalization of sexual violence). Therefore, this study examines student perceptions of sexual assault in the media using in-depth semi-structured interviews with 34 students and alumni. Theoretical and practical implications are discussed.

自从社交媒体运动#metoo迅速发展以来，关于性暴力的媒体讨论已经增多。具体来说，2017年，当女演员，制片人，活动家爱丽莎·米兰诺（Alyssa Milano）鼓励她的社交媒体追随者对自己进行过性骚扰或殴打时，“我也是”时，这一短语大量出现。除了提高认识之外，媒体对诸如性侵犯之类的历史性沉默话题的报道也可能是有益的，因为它涉及广泛的教育。相反，对性暴力的误解（也称为强奸神话）的广泛传播可以使强奸文化永存（例如，将性与暴力联系起来，并随后使性暴力正常化）。因此，本研究使用对34名学生和校友的深入半结构化访谈，考察了学生对媒体中性侵犯的看法。