Abstract
This study examines the types of narratives constructed about experiences with sexual violence shared in Facebook posts using the hashtag #MeToo. Feminist and intersectional theories were used to contextualize a textual analysis of 61 public posts to explore how individuals were presenting their experiences for a mass audience online in the absence of traditional gatekeepers. Most of the posts featured graphic details, strong emotion, and patterns of internalized misogyny. Stories shared revealed troubling power dynamics involving disability, race, and gender. Intersectional groups are underrepresented in online spaces, indicating a problematic absence of these individuals within online movements like #MeToo that address sexual violence.
Library of Congress Subject Headings
Sexual abuse victims; Online social networks; Intersectionality (Sociology)
Publication Date
8-18-2018
Document Type
Thesis
Student Type
Graduate
Degree Name
Communication and Media Technologies (MS)
Department, Program, or Center
School of Communication (CLA)
Advisor
Andrea Hickerson
Advisor/Committee Member
Ammina Kothari
Advisor/Committee Member
Laura Shackelford
Recommended Citation
DePoint, Lauren, "#MeToo: Personal Accounts of Sexual Violence on Facebook Analyzing Individual Stories to Reveal Themes About Gender, Power, and Intersectional Factors" (2018). Thesis. Rochester Institute of Technology. Accessed from
https://repository.rit.edu/theses/9840
Campus
RIT – Main Campus
Plan Codes
COMMTCH-MS
