Effect of Tech-Facilitated Gender-Based Violence on social media communication in Nigeria
Keywords:
Contexts, Gender-Based, Misogyny, Tech-Facilitated, Trends and Violence
Abstract
Tech-Facilitated Gender-Based Violence (TFGBV) has become a significant issue in the global context, including in Nigeria, where the rapid growth of social media use intersects with existing gender-based inequalities. In Nigeria, the effects of TFGBV on social media communication are both profound and wide-ranging, influencing individuals, communities, and even the broader societal discourse. Misogyny and tech-facilitated gender-based violence (TFGBV) are escalating concerns in Nigeria, reflecting broader societal gender inequalities exacerbated by digital technologies. This paper explores the evolving trends, contexts, and impacts of TFGBV, including online harassment, cyberstalking, doxxing, and non-consensual sharing of intimate images. Social media and digital platforms have become both sites of empowerment and oppression, where misogynistic narratives thrive, often with limited legal and institutional accountability. Cultural norms, weak regulatory frameworks, and inadequate enforcement mechanisms further enable perpetrators while silencing victims. Through a critical analysis of case studies, policy responses, and advocacy efforts, this study highlights the urgent need for comprehensive legal reforms, digital literacy programs, and multi-stakeholder collaborations to combat TFGBV. Addressing these issues is essential for fostering a safer digital environment and advancing gender equality in Nigeria.
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References
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Olawale, D. (2022). The Cybercrimes Act and its effectiveness in combating online gender-based violence in Nigeria. African Journal of Cybersecurity Law, 7(1), 24-39.
Olufemi, D. (2022). Digital platforms and gendered disinformation in Nigeria: Challenges in content moderation. African Journal of Media Studies, 7(2), 34-56.
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Suzor, N. (2019). Lawless: The secret rules that govern our digital lives. Cambridge University Press.
Taiwo, M., Jaiyesimi, B. J., & Aondover, E. M. (2024). Product placement in Namaste Wahala in the global film industry and brand recall in Nigeria. Journal of Media and Communication Studies, 16(1), 9-19.
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van Dijck, J. (2013). The culture of connectivity: A critical history of social media. Oxford University Press.
Vitalis, P. O., Aondover, E. M., Ogunbola, O., Onyejelem, T. E., & Ridwan, M. (2025). Accessing Digital Divide and Implications in Nigeria: The Media Dimension. Budapest International Research and Critics Institute-Journal (BIRCI-Journal), 8(1), 1-12
Zuboff, S. (2019). The age of surveillance capitalism: The fight for a human future at the new frontier of power. PublicAffairs.
Adamu, R. (2022). Gender policies and digital safety: Assessing Nigeria’s response to online violence against women. African Journal of Gender Studies, 9(2), 41-58.
Adebayo, S. (2021). Tech-facilitated violence and gender inequality in the Nigerian context. African Journal of Technology and Innovation, 6(2), 99-114.
Adeyemi, T. (2021). Cyber laws and gender-based violence in Nigeria: An analysis of enforcement gaps. Nigerian Law Review, 15(2), 67-81.
Airaoje, O. K., Obada, A. A., & Msughter, A. E. (2023). A Critical Review on Gender Based Violence in Nigeria: Media Dimension. Humanities, 3(2), 9-16.
Aondover, P. O., Aondover, E. M., & Babele, A. M. (2022). Two nations, same technology, different outcomes: Analysis of technology application in Africa and America. Journal of Educational Research and Review, 1(1), 001-008.
Arner, D. W., Barberis, J., & Buckley, R. P. (2015). The evolution of fintech: A new post-crisis paradigm? University of Hong Kong Faculty of Law Research Paper No. 2015/047.
Baer, H. (2016). Redefining feminist activism in the digital age: From the fourth wave to the future. Feminist Media Studies, 16(1), 17-34.
Bailey, J., & Mathen, C. (2019). Technology-facilitated violence against women: Recent legal responses in Canada. Canadian Journal of Women and the Law, 31(1), 1-29.
Bamiro, O. (2022). Social media, misogyny, and online violence against women in Nigeria. Journal of African Digital Media, 6(3), 112-128.
Banet-Weiser, S. (2018). Empowered: Popular feminism and popular misogyny. Duke University Press.
Citron, D. K. (2014). Hate crimes in cyberspace. Harvard University Press.
Daniels, J. (2009). Cyber racism: White supremacy online and the new attack on civil rights. Rowman & Littlefield.
Duggan, M. (2017). Online harassment 2017: A Pew Research Center study on digital abuse. Pew Research Center.
Eze, C. (2020). The Violence Against Persons Act and its role in protecting women from technology-facilitated abuse in Nigeria. Journal of Human Rights and Law, 12(3), 89-106.
Fuchs, C. (2021). Social media: A critical introduction (3rd ed.). SAGE Publications.
Gender-Based Violence in Nigeria. JFC/WACC project. 2024
Ging, D., & Siapera, E. (2018). Online misogyny: A new wave of digital gender-based violence. European Journal of Cultural Studies, 21(6), 603-610.
Henry, N., & Powell, A. (2018). Technology-facilitated sexual violence: A literature review of empirical research. Aggression and Violent Behavior, 37, 147-161.
Henry, N., & Powell, A. (2018). Technology-facilitated sexual violence: A framework for understanding perpetration, impact, and the role of gender. Feminist Media Studies, 18(4), 617-634.
Henry, N., & Powell, A. (2018). Technology-facilitated sexual violence: A framework for understanding perpetration, impact, and the role of gender. Feminist Media Studies, 18(4), 617-634.
Hile, M. M., Msughter, A. E., & Aliyu, M. A. (2023). Secularism and Ethical Issues in Media Practice as a Bane for National Development. SIASAT, 8(3), 166-177.
Ibrahim, M., & Yusuf, L. (2023). Legal inconsistencies in addressing technology-facilitated gender-based violence in Nigeria. Nigerian Journal of Policy Studies, 10(1), 55-73.
Ibrahim, M., & Yusuf, L. (2023). Political women and digital misogyny: A case study of online harassment in Nigeria. African Journal of Political Science, 11(2), 54-76.
Idris, M. K., & Msughter, A. E. (2022). Sources of Information on National Issues among Border Communities in Yobe State, Nigeria. ASEAN Journal of Community Engagement, 6(1), 22-47.
Jaggar, A. M. (1983). Feminist politics and human nature. Rowman & Littlefield.
Jane, E. A. (2017). Misogyny online: A short (and brutish) history. SAGE Publications.
Journalists for Christ (JFC Nigeria). Trends & contexts of Misogyny and Tech-Facilitated
Kenney, M., & Zysman, J. (2016). The rise of the platform economy. Issues in Science and Technology, 32(3), 61-69.
Kurfi, M. Y., Msughter, A. E., & Maradun, L. U. (2023). Media Ethics and Power In Multicultural Nigeria.
Lewis, R., Rowe, M., & Wiper, C. (2021). Online abuse of feminists as an emerging form of violence against women and girls. British Journal of Criminology, 61(5), 1201-1220.
Maikaba, B., & Msughter, A. E. (2019). Digital Media and Cultural Globalisation: The Fate of African Value System. Humanities and Social Sciences, 12(1), 214-220.
Marwick, A., & Lewis, R. (2017). Media manipulation and disinformation online. Data & Society Research Institute.
Mojaye, E. M., & Aondover, E. M. (2022). Theoretical perspectives in world information systems: A propositional appraisal of new media-communication imperatives. Journal of Communication and Media Research, 14(1), 100-106.
Noble, S. U. (2018). Algorithms of oppression: How search engines reinforce racism. NYU Press.
Nussbaum, M. (2010). Objectification and internet culture: How misogyny thrives online. Ethics, 120(1), 81-106.
Obada, A. A., Airaoje, O. K., Okuneye, A. P., Collins-Dike, J., & Msughter, A. E. (2024). Media Role on the Burden of Non-Communicable Diseases in Nigeria. Clin Case Rep Int. 2024; 8, 1652.
Obada, A. A., Msughter, A. E., Namadi, H. M., & Nongubee, T. (2021). Hyper prevalence of malnutrition in Nigerian context. Biomedical Journal of Scientific & Technical Research , 39 (1), 30916-30925.
Obasi, M. C., & Msughter, A. E. (2023). Assessment of media coverage of environmental hazards in mining communities in Ebonyi State, Nigeria. Environmental Challenges, 13, 100758.
Okonkwo, J. (2020). The rise of tech-facilitated gender violence: An emerging threat in Nigerian digital spaces. Journal of Cybercrime and Security Studies, 5(1), 98-113.
Okonkwo, J. (2023). Data protection laws and digital gender violence: Implications of Nigeria’s Data Protection Act 2023. Journal of Digital Rights, 5(2), 77-93.
Olawale, D. (2022). The Cybercrimes Act and its effectiveness in combating online gender-based violence in Nigeria. African Journal of Cybersecurity Law, 7(1), 24-39.
Olufemi, D. (2022). Digital platforms and gendered disinformation in Nigeria: Challenges in content moderation. African Journal of Media Studies, 7(2), 34-56.
Oreoluwa, P. A., Vitalis, P. O., Nneka, A. Q., Collins-Dike, J., & Ridwan, M. (2024). Online Harassment of Female Journalist in Lagos State. Polit Journal Scientific Journal of Politics, 4(3), 162-174.
Powell, A., & Henry, N. (2017). Cyber violence: A case study of technology-facilitated sexual violence in Australia. Social Sciences, 6(4), 103-121. https://doi.org/10.3390/socsci6040103
Powell, A., Henry, N., Flynn, A., & Scott, A. J. (2020). Image-based sexual abuse: The extent, nature, and impact. Routledge.
Suzor, N. (2019). Lawless: The secret rules that govern our digital lives. Cambridge University Press.
Taiwo, M., Jaiyesimi, B. J., & Aondover, E. M. (2024). Product placement in Namaste Wahala in the global film industry and brand recall in Nigeria. Journal of Media and Communication Studies, 16(1), 9-19.
Tufekci, Z. (2017). Twitter and tear gas: The power and fragility of networked protest. Yale University Press.
United Nations. (2020). The rise of technology-facilitated gender-based violence: A global survey. United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women.
van Dijck, J. (2013). The culture of connectivity: A critical history of social media. Oxford University Press.
Vitalis, P. O., Aondover, E. M., Ogunbola, O., Onyejelem, T. E., & Ridwan, M. (2025). Accessing Digital Divide and Implications in Nigeria: The Media Dimension. Budapest International Research and Critics Institute-Journal (BIRCI-Journal), 8(1), 1-12
Zuboff, S. (2019). The age of surveillance capitalism: The fight for a human future at the new frontier of power. PublicAffairs.
Published
2025-03-22
How to Cite
Funmi Falobi. (2025). Effect of Tech-Facilitated Gender-Based Violence on social media communication in Nigeria. Konfrontasi: Jurnal Kultural, Ekonomi Dan Perubahan Sosial, 12(2), 130-145. https://doi.org/10.33258/konfrontasi2.v12i2.332
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