Space, Platform, Privacy: Deciding How and Where to Disclose

In 2017, the #MeToo movement emboldened millions of victim-survivors to disclose their experiences across various social media platforms. Since then, academics have paid closer attention to how victim-survivors speak about sexual violence on social media, but few have considered the decision-making processes and motivations behind these disclosures. This chapter examines the ways that victim-survivors are agentic, outlining some of the factors that lead them to disclose sexual violence in a digital space. Drawing both from a content analysis of a victim-survivor community on Reddit and from qualitative interviews with victim-survivors who had chosen digital platforms to disclose, the chapter reveals that victim-survivors are motivated by needing to receive support, to be heard, to find information and advice, and to participate in the community. This chapter also makes the important point that victim-survivors do substantial safety work to decide where to disclose their experiences online and that many shift how they talk about it depending on the digital context. I highlight the spectrum of digital practices that victim-survivors engage in when disclosing their experiences online, where their practices span a mix of public, private, anonymous and identified disclosures.