A resource mobilisation study of how Facebook enables gender base violence in the online space in South Africa

Abstract

The evolution of the internet and Social Media Platforms (SMPs) have made the online space an easy arena to perpetuate Gender-based  violence (GBV). With features such as anonymity, easy synchronisation of data, and easy access to information, SMPs provide  perpetrators of GBV, an available platform to attack people based on their gender and perceived power superiority. Yet, a detailed analysis of the nexus between SMPs and GBV in online spaces has hardly been given enough attention in recent South African gender- based violence literature. It attempts to address this research gap, specifically within the Facebook online space. Drawing on the  theoretical ideas of resource mobilisation theory, the study specifically identifies and appraises salient Facebook features within which  most acts of gender-based violence are carried out in a purposefully selected South African public institute. A qualitative approach, which  draws data from a combination of semi-structured one-on-one interviews of three (3) former Facebook employees, and three (3) self- identified Online Gender-Based Violence (OGBV) offenders on the official Facebook page of the public institution, forms the basic  research sample used to identify the features. These include comments, pop-up reals, timelines, and group creation options. These  features, inter alia, provide anonymity and pseudonymity, content amplification, synchronised users’ interests and easy network creation,  within which it is easier for actors to orchestrate and participate in GBV in the online space. Based on these findings, the study  recommends institutional formation of gender-sensitive policies and the development of more AI-based algorithms, which could promptly identify OGBV and meticulously regulate content sharing and other activities on Facebook and other SMPs.