Digital spaces were supposed to connect us. Instead, for women and girls, they’ve become a battleground.
The kinds of violence that once required proximity, threats, humiliation, intimidation, now follow women everywhere through their phones, laptops, and notifications. As UN Women documents, technology-facilitated abuse includes:
- Trolling and targeted scorn
- Non-consensual image sharing (including deepfakes)
- Identity-based threats
- Blackmail
- Impersonation or account takeover
- Coordinated group mobbing campaigns
This isn’t “just online drama.” This is violence and the impact is profound on daily life, mental health, and the people who are counting on these women.
Digital abuse often escalates into real-world danger, emotional trauma, professional damage, and long-term fear. It isolates women from their support networks. It silences them when they try to speak. It forces some to erase their online presence for safety altogether.
And for survivors like journalists, advocates, mothers, or anyone who dare stand up to abuse publicly, the digital sphere is often where ridicule starts and where escalation hides.
What Technology-Facilitated Violence Looks Like
Surveillance, Taunting, & Needling
Repeated messages. Violent threats. Surveillance disguised as “just checking.” Fake accounts created solely to monitor you. Telling people where you’ll be and when.
Deepfake & Image-Based Abuse
Manipulated sexual images, stolen photos, revenge porn, fabricated videos and screenshots, all designed to humiliate, coerce, or silence women.
Identity Abuse
Posting addresses, children’s names, workplaces, phone numbers, weaponizing information to make women and children fear for their lives.
Violence That Starts Online and Escalates Offline
What starts with a comment often doesn’t stay there. Digital abuse is a gateway to real stalking, real threats, real harm.
Targeting Specific Groups
Women who speak out, like journalists, politicians, activists, attorneys, survivors, face the absolute worst of it. UN Women confirms marginalized groups especially (LGBTQ+, migrants, disabled women, and women of color) face disproportionate harm.
Why This Violence Is So Dangerous
1. The Scale
One abusive post becomes hundreds.
One tormenter becomes a swarm.
2. The Permanence
Once leaked, a single image or piece of personal information can haunt a person forever.
3. The Legal Void
Many regions, including Michigan, still lack strong digital protection laws.
Some police departments don’t understand online offenses.
Some courts dismiss real threats as “online disputes” or worse yet, believe the abuser.
4. The Silence It Creates
Women withdraw. They stop posting.
They stop advocating.
They stop engaging.
They shrink to survive… and bad actors count on that.
Digital violence works for bad actors because the world doesn’t treat it seriously.
What Needs to Change
Legal Systems Must Catch Up
Tech-facilitated violence must be treated as real violence. Michigan and other states need:
- Strong image-based abuse laws
- Stronger digital protections
- Platform cooperation requirements
- Statutes updated for online threats
- Criminal penalties for deepfake sexual exploitation
Platforms Must Protect Users
Safety cannot depend on whether a moderator happens to see your report.
Platforms must:
- Enforce rules evenly
- Remove repeat abusers
- Ban identity-infringement and impersonation accounts
- Make reporting tools easy and effective
- Act quickly on threats
Communities Must Learn Digital Safety
Digital literacy saves lives. Knowing how to document, report, and secure accounts creates a shield.
What You Can Do — Starting Now (Your Survivor Action Plan)
1. Document Everything
Screenshots, URLs, timestamps, email headers, IP logs when possible.
Evidence is power. Evidence keeps you safe when people are surrounding you.
2. Report It; Even If Systems Shrug
Report to platforms. Report to police. Report to cybercrime units. You’re building a paper trail and that matters. But it takes time, sadly.
3. Demand Accountability From Tech Companies
Tell platforms that safety should not depend on luck or virality. Facebook is literally the worst about it.
4. Push Michigan to Update Its Laws
Digital harm is real harm. Pain is pain and your brain registers it exactly the same. Just because a bad actor doesn’t beat leave you busted doesn’t mean they aren’t intentionally trying to harm you or actively trying to destroy your life, or worse, find a way to kill you. And sadly, for no reason other than they can. Michigan must legislate like it’s 2025, not 1995.
5. Support Survivors You Know
Quietly. Consistently. Without judgment. Digital abuse has a way of isolating people; step up and be the person who stays close. Don’t leave people to be lambs to the slaughter. If you wouldn’t want this happening to the individuals in your life, don’t perpetuate it; because the more you push the boundary, the more it blurs, the more common place it will become.
6. Share This Post
I would hazard a guess that someone in your life is living through digital abuse right now, perhaps silently because they’re afraid to ask for help. Be the ear, heart, and support they need to get through this.
CALL TO ACTION
Digital violence is not virtual, harmless, or temporary. And it is not “just the internet.” It is violence, and it has consequences. We need to make the internet a safer place for everyone in our world.
If lawmakers refuse to protect women, if platforms refuse to act, if the system refuses to take it seriously, then we will.
Demand stronger laws. Hold platforms accountable Support survivors. We do not have to let digital spaces become hunting grounds for bad actors. Not today. Not ever.
