#WhyIDidntReport: Using Twitter to Better Understand Reporting and Non-Reporting Behaviors After Experiencing A Sexual Assault

• In Event: Sexual Assault Disclosure

Abstract

Hashtags on social media platforms are useful tools for users to share personal experiences and promote social change. Twitter has been utilized by vulnerable and underserved populations as sources for news and information, as well as an avenue to make their own voices heard (Mehra, Merkel, and Bishop, 2004; Regan, 2017). The current study explores the (re)emergence and use of the hashtag #WhyIDidntReport soon after Dr. Christine Blasey Ford’s sexual assault accusations went public against now-seated Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh. In the days that followed, many people – including President Donald Trump – began to question the accusations, pointing to the fact that Dr. Ford did not report the incident when it occurred. The Twitter hashtag #WhyIDidntReport was used by many to disclose their sexual assault for the first time or to share their experiences. This study explores the top tweets using the #WhyIDidntReport hashtag during the senate hearings to better understand reporting and non-reporting behaviors of victims of sexual assault.

Authors

• Kathryn Noe Kozey, Western New England University

• Gillian M. Pinchevsky, University of Nevada, Las Vegas

• Michelle Newton-Francis, American University