The harassers are not always the others, we are too

Cases of sexist harassment on French-language social networks are recurring. Also the surprise or support reactions do not change. But the harassers aren’t always the others. Sometimes we are, too, journalist Lucie Ronfaut recalls in Numerama’s #Rule30 newsletter.

Honestly, I don’t know what else to write about cyberbullying. Each week brings its share of cases that are both terribly violent and terribly similar to the rest. In this case, there has been a lot going on in this area in the last few days:

– Netizens have clamored for censorship over the (voluntary) deactivation of an account that targeted Sandrine Rousseau, playing on the confusion between the MP’s true words and often vulgar and offensive content. This is a technique called ” Fem Spoofing’, which generally consists of impersonating a feminist person with extreme statements to make fun of or even deceive other internet users. On average, the account posted 400 tweets per month.

– French streamers have (a little) revealed the constant harassment they face on Twitch. One of them, Ava Mind, shared a particularly shocking excerpt a voice memo sent by a stranger insulting him and suggesting he create pornographic content rather than ” pretending to be a geek for the sexually destitute“.

– Léna Situations, famous French influencer who has already left Twitter in the past because of the harassment she regularly suffered there, has been the victim of another wave of hate online. This time, these attacks were motivated by the impending opening of a restaurant that carries his brand’s image and offers vegan food.

Of course, these three situations alone do not sum up the concept of cyberbullying, which is a complex and multifaceted phenomenon. It can affect both public figures and ordinary individuals, and it does not only affect women, although belonging to a vulnerable category increases the risks and determines the nature of the attacks (a man is more likely to receive death threats than death rape for example). But to this day they demonstrate our helplessness in the face of online violence and our incomprehension towards their mechanics.

Tweet rule 30 — Valérie Rey-Robert is a writer (referring to a clip from a 1987 TV show in which peers criticized cyclist Jeannie Longo as misogynistic)

Because not only cyberbullying is repeated. There are also our reactions, which are often the same. we « hallucinating “In the face of this violence (as if they can still surprise us) we send ” huge supporters (it’s well intentioned but sounds a bit hollow in the face of such an immense and structural phenomenon) and above all we are tempted to point the finger at a certain category of people. It’s the fault of the trolls, the incels and such.” frustrated virgins‘, to bored teenagers, etc. In short, we create a boundary between the people who are harassing and ourselves. I don’t know if that argument is very reassuring to a victim of cyberbullying. What I do know, however, is that this limit doesn’t really exist.

This article is an excerpt from our weekly Rule30 newsletter published by Numerama. This is the July 13, 2022 issue. To subscribe for free, click here.

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Break your own stereotypes about online violence

I keep coming back to this study by the IPSOS institute, published earlier this year with the association Féministes contre le cyberharassment, which helped me break down my own stereotypes about online violence. For example, we learn that 31% of French people say they have already been at the origin of a cyberviolence situation (23% if we exclude people who admit to having searched their spouse’s phone without their permission). This proportion is significantly higher among those under 35: 69% of young men surveyed admit to having committed online violence and 61% of young women. What’s even more interesting is that 69% of victims of repeat cyberbullying were also the trigger for this type of situation.

Is it because we are more aware of the violence we are subjected to than the violence we inflict? Or because we’ve become accustomed to hating as part of our online experiences? I’ve been thinking about this a lot lately when I see that anonymous question apps are back in vogue, that Instagram wants to turn us all into videographers endowed with algorithms (inspired by TikTok, itself a platform plagued by netizen violence), and that I imagine several new cases will have been published by the time of my next newsletter. Of course, cyberbullying cannot be separated from its political, sexist, racist or economic context. But neither can we pretend that this phenomenon is none of our business and that we were only distant witnesses to it. The bullies aren’t always other people. Sometimes we are too.

The press review of the week

disinfo

Last week, YouTube (owned by Google/Alphabet) announced that it would now remove videos that disseminate information. misleading or incorrect about abortion. This decision is related to the withdrawal of abortion rights in the United States. But according to the platform, this is a simple extension of its policy to combat health disinformation, particularly around the COVID-19 pandemic. More information from numerama.

racism in manga

The Pixels section of the World dealt with an interesting topic: Black people in manga and the development of these depictions. Not surprisingly, these two themes are closely linked to the history of Japan and its relationship to immigration. But what you may not know is that this racism is indirectly linked to Western influence. If you are interested in the topic, you can read the article here.

say my name say my name

The partial abortion ban in the United States has unleashed an avalanche of content in more or less good taste. This article by The Atlantic focuses on a rather odd trend: netizens implying they’re willing to host people who want an illegal abortion… but without ever using the word ” cancellation“, for fear of censorship on social networks or simply to create a militant image for less money. You can read it here (in English).

stripes

On TikTok and YouTube there are many videos of strippers who talk about their work without taboos. But in wanting to leave behind the stereotypes about their jobs, some end up creating others, idealizing their profession without mentioning the precariousness and dangers. This is the subject of this investigation, available at Input Mag.

Something to read/watch/listen/play

Hori is a popular and hardworking high school student in the class, despite the virtual absence of her parents who force her to take care of her little brother on her own. Miyamura is one of his classmates, shy and secretly addicted to piercings and tattoos, which he has to hide in high school. So far it sounds like an Avril Lavigne song; except that inside Horimiya, things end well and quickly. Despite their differences, Hori and Miyamura grow closer and date.

The story is a priori pretty much agree. What makes the charm of Horimiya, and the success of this manga series (which itself was adapted from a popular webcomic in the early 2010s) lies precisely in embracing its banality. Instead of a somewhat artificial suspense, we very quickly get what we were promised (an enchanting and quite realistic love story) and we enjoy the sequel: the daily life of a young couple and their friends who love, argue and support each other at a crucial time in their life. Horimiya is not an original story. But it’s a great summer read when you’re in the mood for a bit of lightness.

Horimiya, by Daisuke Hagiwara and Hero, Nobi Nobi Editions (5 Volumes, Current Series)