ABSTRACT

Though sexual violence is prevalent, formal reporting to police remains uncommon. Social media may provide a unique outlet for survivors of different forms of sexual violence, who might otherwise remain silent. This study examined the viral Twitter #WhyIDidntReport hashtag to synthesize survivors’ reasons for not reporting sexual violence to formal authorities. A qualitative content analysis was conducted on a random sample of 469 tweets. Seven major themes emerged: internal reactions, expectations of negative social reactions, perpetrator factors, myths and knowledge, actual negative reactions from others, protection of others, and concerns about evidence. These themes are largely consistent with more narrowly focused past research, suggesting that social media may continue to offer viable opportunities for unobtrusive research in the future. Additionally, the uniquely broad lens of this study further illuminated stigma as a major barrier for reporting. Future research might test the relative predictive strength of specific barriers.

摘要

尽管性暴力很普遍，但向警方正式报告仍然很少见。社交媒体可能会为不同形式的性暴力幸存者提供一个独特的出路，否则他们可能会保持沉默。这项研究检查了病毒式的 Twitter #WhyIDidntReport 标签，以综合幸存者未向正式当局报告性暴力的原因。对 469 条推文的随机样本进行了定性内容分析。出现了七大主题：内部反应、对负面社会反应的期望、肇事者因素、神话和知识、来自他人的实际负面反应、保护他人以及对证据的担忧。这些主题在很大程度上与过去更狭隘的研究一致，这表明社交媒体可能会在未来继续为不引人注目的研究提供可行的机会。此外，这项研究独特的广泛视角进一步阐明了污名是报告的主要障碍。未来的研究可能会测试特定障碍的相对预测强度。