A NEW PLATFORM FOR SEXUALIZED VIOLENCE: A FEMINIST ANALYSIS OF WOMEN’S DATING APP EXPERIENCES

Abstract

The high rate of sexualized violence against women poses an urgent social issue and significant human rights problem. While not new for women, the proliferation of modern technology, particularly the surge in online dating app popularity and users, has created a new platform for sexualized violence to occur. This phenomenon is termed dating app-facilitated sexualized violence. It's an emerging field of research with a scarcity of qualitative studies and lacks a feminist approach, necessary to contextualize its meaning. This research employed a qualitative design, informed by radical feminism and technofeminism, to explore how gender and technology shape women’s experiences of dating app-facilitated sexualized violence. This study recruited 19 women between the ages of 18 and 34 years, residing in Canada, who self-identified as active dating app users with experiences of dating app-facilitated sexualized violence. Oneon- one semi-structured interviews were conducted with each woman, identifying three key themes: “Dating App Culture”, “Dating Apps as Violent Tools”, and “Resistance to Dating App- Facilitated Sexualized Violence”. The impacts of dating app-facilitated sexualized violence on women’s health and their journey to healing is also discussed. Overall, the findings elucidate how women’s experiences of dating app-facilitated sexualized violence are shaped by both gender and technology, providing valuable insights that could help establish a safer online dating environment and reduce occurrences of sexualized violence against women, both within dating apps and beyond.