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

Abstract

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.