There is no doubt that social media has pervaded every aspect of our lives, even our personal spaces. As a young country with a population of over 1.3 billion people, there were 560 million active internet users in 2019. The figure is estimated to reach 636 million active internet users in 2021.
With an average sex ratio of 940 females per 1,000 males, there are inadvertently a significant number of females who are active internet users at present and the number will only grow in the years to come. So, how safe are Indian women in cyber space? And is there a need for young girls and women to worry as the virtual world inches closer every minute?
In India, the highest internet penetration is in NCT of Delhi followed by Kerala, Jammu and Kashmir, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh and Punjab. The eastern states, except Assam in the Northeast, have lower internet penetration. The penetration is rising with every passing day and among the metros, Mumbai has the highest internet population closely followed by Delhi. Also, Kerala, Tamil Nadu and NCT of Delhi have a higher proportion of female internet users. The male-female user ratio is 60:40 in Indian metros with a population larger than five million people.
The numbers and the sheer size of population that is actively sharing personal information and details on the internet through social networking sites and apps are staggering and worrisome. Social networking sites such as Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Quora, Instagram, Pinterest, Snapchat, LinkedIn boast of billions of site visits and app downloads and millions of new subscriptions every month.
In India, the number of active social media users was 310 million in January 2019 which is expected to rise to 448 million by 2023. Facebook, YouTube being the most popular social media networking platforms and TikTok being the most downloaded app of 2019.
Social Media has empowered women
Several studies, trends and development in the recent years have managed to highlight the pros and cons of social media in affecting and influencing women`s rights movement. “In India, similar to several other countries, women lag behind their male counterparts in mainstream media and basically lack equitable representation,” says Lucknow-based Mass Media student Sonal Choudhary.
“Social media has successfully managed to reduce the gap and offered a level-playing field for women who can now voice their opinion freely. It is important for women to speak up and be those voices that inspire and transform societies because only women are sensitive enough to understand problems and find reasonable solutions”, she avers.
Social media platforms are encouraging women from diverse backgrounds and socio-economic strata to have an audience and be heard. Women who were denied any power traditionally or the ‘privilege’ to exercise decision-making are now finding their space, creating identities through social media. A Mumbai-based media professional Sneha Nair accepts that despite being in ‘powerful’ positions, women often exercise restraint in dealing with male subordinates or counterparts.
“Female bosses also face sexual harassment and sexually-coloured remarks even from their subordinates”, she says. The law is in place but often the organisation-level committees discourage complaints and dissuade actions as they are afraid of tarnishing the reputation of the organisation. “I am very happy that the #MeToo movement came as it has instilled some sort of fear of public shaming and has hopefully deterred such habitual perpetrators.”
The #MeToo movement came to India when Bollywood actress Tanushree Dutta accused some members of the film fraternity of sexual harassment. It triggered a ‘MeToo’ wave where women from all walks of life took to social media to share their experiences of harassment at workplace. Many repeat offenders were identified publicly, and many victims even got the courage to approach the police. The merits and demerits of the #MeToo movement are a topic of another debate as there were several instances when false allegations were also made. The fact remains that this movement encouraged millions of girls and women to be heard and come out of their guilt-ridden cocoons. And that’s the power of social media.
Social perceptions, a hurdle
India has several laws that protect and uphold women rights and several policies and schemes that ensure affirmative action for the ‘weaker’ gender. However, societal perceptions and bias among law enforcing authorities often discourage delivery of justice. Cyber-space has, in such cases, empowered women to speak up about the abuse they are suffering at the hands of their husbands, authorities, or even their own families – without being ostracised from the community or even any direct or indirect shaming from their families. Shaming and the imposed guilt of bringing a bad name to the family is often the biggest reason why many women do not complain about their abuse.
Many families stop young girls and women from approaching the authorities in case of child abuse, rape, domestic violence, etc. But social media has helped women to reach out to authorities and para-legal services even without the support of their families. In fact, social media is also being wisely used by many to complain against the authorities who do not register complaints or align with perpetrators to harass victims. In the new Digital India, all government departments, ministries, police departments and other entities are present on social media. The fact that this information is public and not in closed quarters makes sure that prompt action is taken.
“My friend was being harassed by her parents to get married to a boy against her wish. She tweeted to women activists and government-authorised entities about her situation and prompt action was taken where her parents were summoned,” quips Delhi-based law student Shanaya Kapoor. She says social media has helped many women in getting access to the right authority without fearing for her life or limb and that is the potential of social media to close this gap.
Several studies have found that in countries with larger gender inequality such as countries in South Asia, women are more likely to be present and active in the virtual space. Social media has also enabled ‘weaker’ women to look for opportunities and seek those opportunities that they may be traditionally denied. It is a strong medium to bring women together for professional networking and personal relationship building to support and strengthen each other.
The dark side of social media
However, like all good things, there is a dark side to this phenomenon as well that severely risks the well-being, safety, mental health and self-esteem of women. Having an online presence makes women prone to cyber-bullying and cyber-stalking. The barriers that women face in public space are as real and prevalent in cyber space also. Trolling, targeted bullying, online harassment are examples of the risks that women face with their presence on social media. Even though there are an equal number of men and women on social networking sites, women are more likely to be subject to online abuse and online stalking.
There are new forms of crimes that are prevalent in the virtual space and create a sense of threat and fear in the mind of a woman, thereby affecting her well-being. Cyber-bullying can be done in myriad ways and over diverse social media platforms. The following acts comprise cyber-bullying:
– Hacking of accounts
– Cyber stalking
– Posting of vulgar messages
– Threatening with a violent act
– Posting embarrassing content
Although the Information Technology Act checks such offences, the trauma is already inflicted when a girl is exposed to such acts. Other prevalent forms of cyber crimes against women include identity theft, trolling, online abuse, etc. It was not long ago when a political spokesperson Priyanka Chaturvedi faced rape threats against her and her daughter on social media. Such instances are far too many and affect women from across industry.
Unlike the status of women`s rights in the ‘real’ world that are often affected by societal and cultural norms, it’s much easier and faster to ensure equitable women’s rights in the ‘virtual’ world.