Stories of digital sexual assault: an analysis of victim positions in news media

ABSTRACT

Digital sexual assault, the non-consensual sharing of intimate images, is becoming an increasingly debated topic leaving victims and survivors to negotiate a large number of stories about and representations of digital violence in the public sphere. This article investigates the construction of victimhood in the Danish press coverage of digital sexual assault. The study shows that victims’ stories and perspectives are under-represented in public discourse, and further analysis of selected media articles leads to the identification of five dominant victim positions: 1) The innocent girl; 2) The forever-ruined victim; 3) The greedy, guilty victim; 4) The local, working-class victim; and 5) The heroic victim. These victim positions frame victims either as passive or as responsible for the assault, its consequences, and their own recovery. It is the conclusion of the study that the public media’s construction of victimhood lacks nuance and diversity and risks marginalizing victims and their experiences of digital victimization.

KEYWORDS:

• Digital sexual assault
• sexual violence
• victim positions
• victimhood
• media representation

Acknowledgements

Deepest thanks to Carsten Stage and Jette Kofoed for their supervision, and to the anonymous reviewers for their thorough and helpful feedback.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Notes

1. This quote is using the term “revenge porn.” While this terminology was common earlier, it is today criticized for bearing reference to consensual porn, and for suggestion that the victim might have done something to deserve “revenge” (see e.g., Maddocks 2018).

2. See (Ann-Katrine Schmidt Nielsen 2020) for descriptions of working with the database

3. Nordvestnyt February 6 2018; Tv2.dk October 9 2019; Ekstra Bladet January 16 2018.

4. Berlingske July 24 2019.

5. B.dk July 23 2019.

6. Information February 17 2019.

7. Herning Folkeblad January 17 2018.

8. Jyske Vestkysten March 25 2018.

9. TV2 February 5 2018.

10. Politiken April 7 2018.

11. Jv.dk February 12 2020.

12. Zetland February 28 2018.

13. Lokalavisen Aarhus Syd February 13 2018; KNR.gl February 5 2018; B.dk February 5 2018.

14. KNR.gl February 5 2018; B.dk February 5 2018.

15. DR.dk June 22 2020.

16. Berlingske September 19 2018.

17. Berlingske May 10 2018.

18. TV2 February 11 2018.

Additional information

Funding

The research was made possible through Aarhus University’s funding of open-call PhD candidates.

Notes on contributors

Signe Uldbjerg

Signe Uldbjerg holds a PhD from Aarhus University, where she worked with victim stories and mediated victimhood among people who have experienced digital sexual violence. These academic interests are rooted in a practice background in feminist activism, and currently, she works at KØN – Gender Museum Denmark in the field between gender research and cultural and activist dissemination.