Research studies

 The Role of Digital Media Platforms in Raising Public Awareness of the Dangers of Digital Violence Against Women: A Case Study of Facebook

 

Prepared by the researche : Dr. Doaa Abdel Fattah Mohamed Al-SadiqPh.D. in Electronic Journalism – Faculty of Arts – Zagazig University

Democratic Arabic Center

Journal of Afro-Asian Studies : Twenty-fourth Issue – February 2025

A Periodical International Journal published by the “Democratic Arab Center” Germany – Berlin

Nationales ISSN-Zentrum für Deutschland
ISSN  2628-6475
Journal of Afro-Asian Studies

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Abstract

Digital media platforms are one of the most significant aspects of technological development in the media and communication landscape, given their crucial role in covering topics related to current events and shaping public opinion towards them, particularly concerning the issue of digital violence against women, which affects millions of women worldwide.

    This phenomenon is regarded as one of the most serious violations of human rights, leading to significant short and long-term physical, economic, and psychological consequences for women and girls, particularly during humanitarian crises, conflicts, and disasters.

     Digital media have empowered the public to exchange news and relevant information, as well as to increase awareness of the seriousness of this phenomenon threatening the security and stability of societies. This development has enhanced the interactive roles between those managing these platforms and their audiences, enabling the expression of opinions through dialogue and interactive participation on topics of mutual interest.

      These platforms are characterized by the ability to broadcast live and rapidly transmit events directly from the location, in text, sound, and image, which contributes to shaping local and global public opinion on topics related to this phenomenon.

Introduction:

         Digital media platforms have become one of the most important technological means of influencing and interacting between individuals, institutions, and their audiences in various political, social, and economic fields. This is because they play a crucial role in covering topics related to current events, especially those concerning digital violence against women. These platforms have significantly contributed to delivering digital content to the audience in innovative and engaging formats through text, audio, and related visuals. They are distinguished by their capability to broadcast news and information live from the event location, effectively addressing the audience’s needs. This contributes to shaping a true public understanding of the phenomenon of digital violence against women, which is one of the most dangerous unacceptable behaviors, as it destroys communities and undermines the social and psychological well-being of individuals due to the exploitation of girls and women during times of crisis, particularly in conflicts and various disasters.

This results in serious physical, economic, and psychological harm that negatively affects the lives of women and girls due to violations of their digital privacy. These violations include cyber harassment, digital blackmail, identity theft, and the dissemination of false content aimed at distorting the victim’s image. Consequently, those managing these platforms have initiated awareness campaigns to reduce the forms of violence against women and to emphasize their rights and status within society. This has allowed the viewing public greater scope for social influence and interactive engagement with the content presented on these platforms, aiming to present diverse perspectives and ideas on this phenomenon. Therefore, we will highlight in our topic: The Role of Digital Media Platforms in Raising Public Awareness of the Dangers of Digital Violence Against Women.

Cognitive framework:

The digital media platform “Facebook” and topics related to forms of digital violence against women:أعلى النموذج

      It is a social platform utilized by individuals and various institutions for exchanging news and information, covering current events, as well as communicating and interacting (Eman Mohamed And others, 2023,47)

     The digital media platform “Facebook” is an important outlet for news coverage of current events, particularly those related to forms of digital violence against women. It also plays a significant role in fostering broad interactive participation with the public regarding women’s issues and advocating for their rights to engage in public life within society.

       Digital violence against women is defined as: forms of violence that can cause psychological and physical harm to women, such as humiliation, abuse, or direct threats and extortion through the use of images or videos without the victim’s consent (Wasar Nawal, 2021, 26).

Digital media platforms have contributed to more interactive roles for audiences regarding the content presented, allowing them to express their opinions through comments and engage in interactive discussions about news topics of interest (Nashwa Aqal, 2024, p. 265).

       These platforms also played a crucial role in producing and broadcasting news content to the public from the scene of the event through text, audio, and video (Noha Sabri, 2022, 202).

There are various forms of digital violence against women, including:

  • Publishing digital videos that include attempts of assault and rape against young girls.
  • Luring girls through the digital space network via false job postings with the aim of placing them in humiliating situations for the purpose of extortion.
  • Harassment and causing harm to girls and women through voice calls and text messages.
  • The illegal violation of the digital privacy of targeted women by exploiting personal information to defame the victim and shame her by creating fake accounts for some women.
  • Pursuing the victim’s activities and behaviors with the intention of disseminating defamatory and illegal materials related to the victim.

Causes of the proliferation of digital violence against women:

There are many reasons that have contributed to the spread of digital violence against women (Wasar Nawal, 2021, 26), the most important of which are:

  • The decline of the deeply entrenched social value system in Arab society, particularly with the emergence of a new set of values arising from the rapid social changes within this society.
  • The decrease in parental supervision over children results in feelings of inadequacy, frustration, deprivation, lack of self-confidence, and an inability to attain emotional satisfaction, which exacerbates problems of electronic addiction and leads to increased calls for digital violence.
  • The decline in educational standards which drives some men to be unable to control feelings of anger or sexual desires, in addition to violence and abuse within the family (Dalia Kharfan, 2024).
  • Gender inequality in rights, exemplified by the unequal distribution of power and resources between men and women (Dalia Kherfan, 2024).

Interacting with topics related to the forms of digital violence against women on the digital media platform “Facebook

   It means displaying the reactions that occur between users during the interaction process through comments, icons, and various expressive forms provided by the algorithms of digital platforms (Fatima Al-Zahra Kashroud, 2022, 29-30). It serves as an appropriate measure to assess the effectiveness of the topics published by institutions on digital platforms. (Smith, Ronald D, 2021.255) ، Particularly the interaction with topics related to forms of digital violence against women.

Forms of interaction with topics to cyber violence against women through the digital media platform “Facebook”:

     There are many forms of interaction with the themes related to digital violence against women on the digital media platform “Facebook” (Eman Mohamed, 2023, 249) include:

  • Liked interaction: It is a feature that allows the user to subscribe to various digital news pages, whether newspapers or television channels, to follow the latest news related to the content that interests them to interact with through those sites.
  • interact by commenting: It means dialogue between users about the contents of issues that arouse their interest in the digital news pages that they follow to form different opinions about them, and it also represents one of the most important interactive contributions for the public.
  • Interact by Participation: This feature allows users to exchange ideas about news material related to issues that interest them and share them from one site to another using text, audio, and images.

Sources and References:

  • Dalia Kharfan (2024). Violence Against Women and Its Most Prevalent Types, available at the following link: https://sos-jordan.org
  • Eman Mohamed Ahmed, Marian Tadrous, Noha Sabri Muhammad Al-Qatawneh, Mahmoud Mohamed Ahmed (2023). The Public Attitudes towards following up the media coverage of the French presidential elections on “Facebook”, This research was published in the Afro-Asian Studies Journal, based in Berlin, Germany by the Arab Democratic Center, in the February 2023 issue,p47.
  • Eman Mohamed Ahmed (2023). The role of ‘YouTube channels in developing digital education skills, An opinion article published in the Journal of Media Studies, Berlin: The Arab Democratic Center, Issue 22, February 2023 AD,p249.
  • Fatima Zahra Kashroud (2022). Digital User Interaction and the Formation of Public Space, unpublished doctoral dissertation, Algeria: Abd al-Hamid Bn Badis University, Faculty of Social Sciences, Department of Humanities, Media and Communication Sciences Division.
  • Noha Sabri Mohammed (2022). Media Coverage of the For the of legislation on the protections of Jordanian women’s rights on “Facebook” Pages, Research published in the Journal of Media Studies: The Arab Democratic Center: Berlin, Volume Five, Issue Nineteen, May 2022 AD.pp202.
  • Noha Sabri Mohammed (2022). Media Coverage of the For the of legislation on the protections of Jordanian women’s rights on “Facebook” Pages, Research published in the Journal of Media Studies: The Arab Democratic Center: Berlin, Volume Five, Issue Nineteen, May 2022 AD.pp202.
  • Nashwa Aql (2024). The Semantic Features of User Comments on Social Media Platforms Regarding the Russian-Ukrainian War, research published in the Scientific Journal of Radio and Television Research, Cairo University: Faculty of Mass Communication, Issue 29, July 2024.
  • Smith, J. (2023). The Role of Digital Media in Crisis Communication. Journal of Media Studies, 12(3), 45-67.
  • Smith, Ronald D. (2021) Strategic Planning for Public Relations. (6th Edition). Routledge, 455.
  • Wasar Nawal (2021). Digital violence against women… the evolution of the phenomenon and the expansion of forms, research published in the Rwaq Journal of Social and Human Studies, Algeria: University of Guelma: Laboratory of Social, Psychological, and Anthropological Studies, Issue 1, June 2021.
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