Defining Digital Sexual Violence: A Systematic Review of Sociological Perspectives on Sexual Violence and Technology

• In Event: 40820 - Section on Sociology of Sex and Gender Roundtables
  In Refereed Roundtable (60 minute): Table 14: Gender, Tech, and Online Spaces

Abstract

This systematic review examines how sociological scholars conceptualize, define, and analyze sexual violence that occurs in digital spaces. Despite sociology’s historical contributions to sexual violence research, contemporary sociological voices have become increasingly absent from this discourse, mainly as violence spreads into online spaces. Through thematic and content analysis of 59 sources (52 articles and seven books) authored by sociologists, this study investigates how definitions of online sexual violence compare to offline counterparts, what health and social outcomes are examined, and what unique perspectives sociologists can offer studies of digital sexual violence. As digital spaces function as extensions of social life, this paper argues that a sociological perspective is essential for understanding how power, gender, and technology intersect to enable sexual violence online.

Author

• Alyssa J Davis, Vanderbilt University