‘A shadow of me old self’: The impact of image-based sexual abuse in a digital society
| Author | Antoinette Huber |
| DOI | http://doi.org/10.1177/02697580211063659 |
| Published date | 01 May 2023 |
| Date | 01 May 2023 |
| Subject Matter | Articles |
https://doi.org/10.1177/02697580211063659
International Review of Victimology
2023, Vol. 29(2) 199 –216
© The Author(s) 2022
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DOI: 10.1177/02697580211063659
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Article
IRV0010.1177/02697580211063659International Review of VictimologyHuber
research-article2022
‘A shadow of me old self’:
The impact of image-based
sexual abuse in a digital
society
Antoinette Huber
Liverpool Hope University, UK
Abstract
This article sheds a new light on the impact of image-based sexual abuse (IBSA) on women.
Drawing on findings from 17 in-depth interviews, it details the emotional, physical and social impact
of this online victimisation, and how the impact of IBSA manifests in women’s everyday lives. By
also using these findings as a basis to examine online victimisation more broadly, this article brings
to the fore broader considerations of how technology is facilitating a mutation in forms of sexual
violence causing victims to encounter impacts which are specific to, or amplified by, technology.
Therefore, it calls for greater attention to be paid to the impacts of IBSA and more research into
how the relationships between the online and offline worlds require us to change our under-
standing of victimisation in an ever-increasing digital society.
Keywords
Image-based sexual abuse, revenge pornography, digital society, technology, sexual violence
Introduction
Advancements in technology have resulted in many positive changes, including the ease of
networking, increased success of campaigns, and access to almost any kind of information (Yar,
2012). At the same time, the interconnectivity of technological platforms has been amplifying the
likelihood of many forms of victimisatio n, with social media playing a facilitat ing role (End
Violence Against Women Coalition, 2013; Franks, 2011; Yar, 2012). This is particularly the case
for violence against women, with research finding increasing levels of misogyny online, evidenced
Corresponding author:
Antoinette Raffaela Huber, Liverpool Hope University, Department of Social and Political Science, 214 Social Science A,
Hope Park, Taggart Avenue, Liverpool L16 9JD, UK.
Email: hubera@hope.ac.uk
200 International Review of Victimology 29(2)
by the increasing use of misogynistic material on social media platforms (Bartlett et al., 2014; Jane,
2017). This has become so widespread that we are now seeing a normalisation of online abuse,
with threats of rape and violence against women becoming more common (Jane, 2017). Whilst
there has been increasing recognition of how technology is changing the nature of, and potentials
for, crime (Yar, 2012) our understanding of how online sexual victimisation impacts upon
women’s everyday lives remains somewhat limited.
This article details the findings of research which explored the impact of image-based sexual
abuse (IBSA) on women’s lives. The term IBSA re fers to a wide range of abusive practices
surrounding the non-consensual taking, making and sharing of (usually sexual) images (see Law
Commission, 2021; McGlynn et al., 2017). However, it is important to note that this research
focused upon cases involving women subjected to the non-consensual sharing, or threat to share,
images, colloquially known as ‘revenge pornography’. Nonetheless, many other forms of IBSA
were evident and interlinked in these cases. The findings presented provide vital and much-needed
knowledge in understanding the impact of online sexual violence and useful narratives through
which to explore how technology is changing the landscape of sexual violence and victimisation.
Moreover, they reject assumptions that sexual violence is less significant when perpetrated in an
online context and highlight the need to recognise the magnitude of consequences for victims,
including giving greater consideration to how the online environment produces specific forms of
trauma. This article begins with a discussion on how technology has facilitated abuse against
women, particularly IBSA, and current knowledge on the impact of IBSA victimisation. After a
summary of the methods undertaken during the research, it then outlines the research findings from
17 in-depth interviews with victims of IBSA. Finally, it calls for greater attention to be paid to the
impacts of IBSA and more research into how the relationships between the online and offline world
require us to change our understanding of victimisation. In doing so, the article responds to, and
reiterates, Powell et al.’s (2018) call for a ‘digital criminology’.
The new era: Technology’s contribution in facilitating violence
Online abuse against women occurs in a multitude of ways, including direct threats of sexual
violence and rape, IBSA, harassment, and stalking (Jane, 2017; Marganski, 2018). There is also a
wide range of platforms used to facilitate these behaviours, including email, public message
boards, social media (including pages dedicated to abusing women), blogs, dating apps and gaming
sites (Jane, 2017). This treatment of women online is not new, but an alternative manifestation of
violence against women which is underpinned by the same misogynistic and patriarchal discourses
as offline abuse (Bartlett et al., 2014; End Violence Against Women Coalition, 2013; Franks,
2011). Cyberspace, therefore, is often considered to be a facilitator of online abuse because it
increases the ease with which abuse can be perpetrated by making it easy for abusers to commu-
nicate with, and harm, victims without the need for physical proximity (Powell et al., 2018). It is
not surprising then to find that just as women represent the overwhelming majority of victims of
domestic abuse and forms of sexual violence offline (Office for National Statistics, 2018), they
also form the majority of those who are sexually victimised online (Davidson et al., 2019).
IBSA is a prime example of sexual violence which has mutated and grown as technological
advancements have continued to be exploited to cause harm. For example, Dworkin and
MacKinnon (1988: 43) acknowledged the use of IBSA in their exploration of pornography. They
argued that ‘[y]oung women are tricked or pressured into posing for boyfriends and told that the
pictures are just “for us” only to find themselves in this month’s Hustler’ and how ‘[m]any women
2International Review of Victimology
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