A Qualitative Examination of Nonconsensual Pornography Motivations Through Perception Analysis

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Abstract

This study aims to establish what the commonly held perceptions are as to why individuals choose to participate in nonconsensual pornography (also known as revenge porn). Using an online survey aimed towards analyzing the perceptions people have towards the causes and rationales of engaging in nonconsensual pornography, a sample of 63 participants from different online platforms were examined. The two most common thematic responses for engaging in nonconsensual pornography were “to bully” and “to show off and brag”. In contexts where initial consent was given, the most common thematic responses for engaging in the behavior was because “consent was assumed to be constant and/or carried over” and “for revenge”. While the study focuses on hypothetical scenarios of nonconsensual pornography, the study provides insight into the perceptions of what people believe motivates individuals to engage in nonconsensual pornography. This is the first study of its kind to explicitly examine nonconsensual pornography motivations using perception analyses.

Author

• Jin Ree Lee, Michigan State University