A Thousand Catcalls: Survivors' Experiences of Sexual Violence in Online Dating

There is growing academic interest in the leisure spaces of online dating as a specific avenue of technology-facilitated sexual violence (TFSV). Yet, limited attention is paid to survivors' experiences and understandings of sexual violence intermediated by dating apps. Using feminist standpoint theory and an intersectional lens, in-depth interviews were conducted with 15 current and former dating app (e.g. Tinder, Grindr) users of diverse identities and backgrounds who previously experienced sexual violence. Sexual violence was found to take a multiplicity of forms spanning the "online-offline" continuum that often co-occur and mutually reinforce their effects, including sexual assault threats, image-based harassment, gender/sexuality-based hate speech, and in-person sexual coercion and/or aggression. Depending on the experience frequency and severity, psycho-social outcomes range from indifference/mild annoyance to emotional trauma and social withdrawal. Findings underscore the profound personal and collective impacts of TFSV and the urgent need for coordinated, multisectoral responses.