"You have to prove the threat is real": Understanding the needs of Female Journalists and Activists to Document and Report Online Harassment
Abstract
Online harassment is a major societal challenge that impacts multiple communities. Some members of community, like female journalists and activists, bear significantly higher impacts since their
profession requires easy accessibility, transparency about their identity, and involves highlighting stories of injustice. Through
a multi-phased qualitative research study involving a focus group
and interviews with 27 female journalists and activists, we mapped
the journey of a target who goes through harassment. We introduce
PMCR framework, as a way to focus on needs for Prevention, Monitoring, Crisis and Recovery. We focused on Crisis and Recovery, and
designed a tool to satisfy a target’s needs related to documenting
evidence of harassment during the crisis and creating reports that
could be shared with support networks for recovery. Finally, we
discuss users’ feedback to this tool, highlighting needs for targets as
they face the burden and offer recommendations to future designers
and scholars on how to develop tools that can help targets manage
their harassment.
profession requires easy accessibility, transparency about their identity, and involves highlighting stories of injustice. Through
a multi-phased qualitative research study involving a focus group
and interviews with 27 female journalists and activists, we mapped
the journey of a target who goes through harassment. We introduce
PMCR framework, as a way to focus on needs for Prevention, Monitoring, Crisis and Recovery. We focused on Crisis and Recovery, and
designed a tool to satisfy a target’s needs related to documenting
evidence of harassment during the crisis and creating reports that
could be shared with support networks for recovery. Finally, we
discuss users’ feedback to this tool, highlighting needs for targets as
they face the burden and offer recommendations to future designers
and scholars on how to develop tools that can help targets manage
their harassment.
Research Areas
