“I never told anyone until the #metoo movement”: What can we learn from sexual abuse and sexual assault disclosures made through social media?

Abstract

BackgroundSocial media is providing new avenues for survivors to disclose sexual abuse and/or assault. Since the creation of #MeToo (2017), and the larger MeToo movement founded by American activist Tarana Burke in 2006, millions are disclosing sexual assaults and past childhood sexual abuse on-line. ObjectiveSocial media for disclosing the highly stigmatized problem of sexual abuse/assault was studied to build knowledge about on-line disclosures.Participants and Setting: Participants were tweeters and posters on Twitter and Reddit. Purposive sampling captured on-line sexual abuse/assault disclosures from September 28, 2018 to October 16, 2018 for thematic analysis. MethodUsing a phenomenological design 171 social media posts were analyzed for deeper understanding into new options for disclosing sexual abuse and/or sexual assault. Posts were independently coded by the authors. Sampling was stopped when categorical saturation was reached with no new information coming forward on the research question. ResultsThemes that emerged showed the MeToo/#MeToo movement is precipitating sexual abuse/assault disclosures on social media in unprecedented ways; posters identified internal barriers, mixed responses from family, and friends/peers, as well as variable responses from professionals. While some conditions for sexual abuse/assault disclosures have improved, barriers still exist. ConclusionSocial media represents an environmental shift for disclosing sexual violence. Sexual abuse/assault survivors have found voice through social media after periods of silence and being silenced, turning to posting on-line when people and systems have failed to validate and support them. Further investigation is needed on the impacts of on-line sexual abuse and/or assault disclosures.