Experts studying the sexual harassment of women online have revealed some of the disturbing reasons why men send unsolicited photos of their genitals.
Commonly known as ‘shit pictures’ or ‘cyberflashing’, the advent of mobile cameras and dating apps means that around half of women have received one of these provocative images.
In the vast majority of cases, the photo was not requested by the woman, according to surveys.
Now, a report by the Nordic Foundation for Equality and Digital Rights (Nordef) has uncovered some of the reasons, as well as the characteristics of men that make them more likely to do so.
Nordef president Thordis Elva said a key factor was that a number of men, mostly younger groups, are now “damaged by pornography” with their view of what is acceptable distorted by explicit material online.
‘Men have different reasons for behaving this way, but we have experienced a change in norms on the Internet.
‘We have a lot of pornography and men and boys damaged by pornography have a twisted view of how to communicate their sexuality.
In pornography, the sight of male genitalia is presented as something welcomed by women, leading to the assumption that the same thing will happen in real life.
Elva’s report also details other reasons for cyberflashing, including the “selfish” hope of receiving a nude photo and seeking praise.
Commonly known as ‘cursed photos’ or ‘cyberflashing’, the advent of mobile cameras and public profiles on social media has given men an easy way to send explicit images to women for their own perverse delight. stock image
Nordef reached its conclusions by analyzing police and court data on cyberflashing incidents in Sweden, Denmark and Iceland between 2019 and 2022.
Elva said data showed that many cyberflashes sent explicit images to up to 30 women at a time in the hope that at least one would provide the reaction they craved in what she called a “dehumanization” of women as a tool for sexual gratification. .
“It will be like a mass mailing where they won’t care how they receive it,” he said.
‘Men don’t sit back and think about the psychological impact this has on the women who receive them.
“They think purely selfishly that someone could send a photo and then it would be sexy.”
The data also showed that many cyberflashers sent images as a “test” to a friend to see if they could become romantic or sexual partners.
The study also found that six percent of men sent such images with the aim of punishing women or affirming their masculinity under the strange logic that they were attacking feminism.
Nordef’s report He also revealed information about the type of men who do cyberflash.
Earlier this year, Nicholas Hawkes became the first person in England and Wales to be jailed under the new law after sending an explicit image of himself to a 15-year-old girl and another woman, and was sentenced to more than one year. year in prison.
The majority, eight out of 10, were men, most under 40 years old.
About 52 percent of images sent to women were of strangers, followed by people they matched with on dating apps at 17 percent and acquaintances at 15 percent.
About seven percent were sent as part of harassment by a co-worker.
Nordef hopes its findings will prompt the creation of preventive measures to prevent men from committing digital abuse against women.
Cyberflashing became a crime in England and Wales earlier this year and those found guilty face up to two years in prison.
It came in the wake of 2021 research suggesting that 32 per cent of girls aged 12 to 18 had received an unsolicited nude photograph from men or boys.
The legislation followed Scotland, which made cyberflashing a specific offense a decade earlier, and Northern Ireland late last year.
Earlier this year, Nicholas Hawkes became the first person in England and Wales to be jailed under the new law after sending an explicit image of himself to a 15-year-old girl and another woman.
Hawkes was sentenced to more than a year in prison.