Sexting: Sexual Harassment on Instagram During Covid-19 Pandemic

Abstract

The Covid-19 pandemic has brought changes to various aspects of human life. To prevent and stem the spread of the Coronavirus, the government took a series of measures aimed at limiting people’s mobility and interaction. One of them is the workfrom- home policy which eventually caused many activities to shift from face-to-face to online, including everything to be done remotely. With the increased use of social media, online violence, including sexting, also increased dramatically. While some existing publications discuss sexting between couples, this article focuses on sexting between people who are not dating, either do not know each other or only know each other but do not communicate intensely often. The research was conducted using a qualitative approach on the social network Instagram. As a combined data collection method, in-depth interviews and online observations were conducted. The study involved 10 women who experienced sexual harassment through messaging or in this study referred to as sexting. They differed in age and profession. This research shows that sexting can affect both men and women, however, the most likely victims are women. Forms of sexting are the perpetrator showing his genitals, inviting for intercourse by sending messages via Instagram, inviting to watch the perpetrator masturbate, and inviting the victim to exchange photos via messages on Instagram or via videocall. The more the victim ignores the person during sexting, the more the perpetrator feels challenged. Victims of harassment in the case of sexting on Instagram often experience mixed feelings of fear, shame, confusion, and shock. As a result, they are afraid to open social media, feel inferior, and even traumatized when meeting new people on Instagram.
 Keywords: sexual harassment, sexting, covid-19 pandemic, Instagram