Body shaming: Body shaming is a highly subjective form of abuse. An exact definition for body shaming does not exist, especially since what constitutes shaming may vary from person to person. Nevertheless, in a broad sense, body shaming may refer to malevolent comments made about a person’s bodily appearance that intend to hurt, shame, or provoke.4Schlüter, C., Kraag, G., & Schmidt, J. (2023). Body Shaming: An Exploratory Study on its Definition and Classification. International Journal of Bullying Prevention, 5, pp. 26–3.
Consent: Consent is an agreement between participants to engage in sexual activity or any other intimate act. It must be freely and actively given and cannot be provided by someone who is under the influence of drugs or alcohol or by someone underage. Consent is specific, meaning that consent to one act does not imply consent to any others, and reversible, meaning that it may be revoked at any time.6UN Women. (n.d.). Frequently Asked Questions: Types of Violence against Women and Girls.https://www.unwomen.org/en/what-we-do/ending-violence-against-women/faqs/types-of-violence
Content moderation: Content moderation refers to the systematic vetting of messages, and decisions about what speech to allow and what to block.7Gillespie, T. (2018). Custodians of the Internet: Platforms, Content Moderation, and the HiddenDecisions that Shape Social Media. Yale University Press. It also takes the form of curation of online content, and down-ranking or amplifying content.8Reimer, K., & Peter, S. (2021). Algorithmic Audiencing: Why we Need to Rethink Free Speech on Social Media. Journal of Information Technology, 36 (4).
Deplatform: Prevent (a person holding views regarded as unacceptable or offensive) from contributing to a forum or debate, especially by blocking them on a particular website or platform.9Deplatform. (n.d.). Oxford Learners' Dictionaries. https://www.oxfordlearnersdictionaries.com/definition/english/deplatform
Digital capitalism: Digital capitalism refers to the phase of capitalism where social and economic activity is dependent on information generated from data networks. It acknowledges that data has become the commodity that guides and sustains capitalistic growth.10Progressive Alliance. (2019). The Digital Capitalism Debate. https://progressive-alliance.info/2019/03/24/digital-capitalism-debate/
Digital evidence: Digital evidence is information stored or transmitted in a binary form that may be relied on in court. It can be found on a computer hard drive and a mobile phone, among other devices. Digital evidence is commonly associated with electronic crime, or e-crime, such as child pornography or credit card fraud. However, digital evidence is now used to prosecute all types of crimes, not just e-crime.11National Institute of Justice. (n.d). Digital Evidence and Forensics.https://nij.ojp.gov/digital-evidence-and-forensics
Downblousing: Downblousing is where a covert camera is used to photograph women from above, focusing on the blouse in the hope of taking an image of the bra, cleavage, or breasts.12Gillespie, A. A. (2008). “Up-Skirts’’ and ‘‘Down-Blouses’’: Voyeurism and the Law. Criminal Law Review, pp. 370-382. https://core.ac.uk/download/pdf/9663206.pdf .
Gender binary: Gender binary refers to the idea that there are only two genders and that everyone is either male or female. Such rigid notions exclude and marginalize the experiences of persons who identify differently to this notion, like transgender persons.13Morgenroth, T., & Ryan, M.K. (2018). Gender Trouble in Social Psychology: How Can Butler’s Work Inform Experimental Social Psychologists’ Conceptualization of Gender? Front Psychol, 9.
Gendered spaces: Feminist geographers argue that gender is enacted in a spatial manner, which makes some spaces masculine and others feminine. For example, in several patriarchal societies, women are restricted from visiting public spaces like parks, which are considered more appropriate for men. This masculinization of space restricts women’s mobility and, in some cases, their opportunities.14Siwach, P. (2020). Mapping Gendered Spaces and Women’s Mobility: A Case Study of Mitathal Village, Haryana. The Oriental Anthropologist, 20 (1).
Genocide: Genocide refers to acts that intend to eliminate, in whole or in part, particular national, ethnic, religious, or racial groups. The acts that are considered as contributing to genocide include killing and causing serious bodily or mental harm to members of a particular group, among others.15Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide, opened for signature 9 December 1948, 78 UNTS 277 (entered into force 12 January 1951).
Heteronormativity: Heteronormativity refers to the dominant assumption that heterosexual relations (sexual relations strictly between men and women) signify normal sexual behavior. It also propounds that male-female differences are natural and essential to human relations.16APA Dictionary of Psychology. (n.d.). Heteronormativity. https://dictionary.apa.org/heteronormativity
Homophobia: Homophobia refers to the “irrational fear, hatred, or aversion” against persons who do not conform to heterosexual norms. It is usually directed toward persons who identify as a part of the LGBTQI+ spectrum.17United Nations Free & Equal. (n.d.). LGBT/LGBTI.https://www.unfe.org/definitions/
Internet intermediaries: The term internet intermediaries commonly refers to a wide, diverse, and rapidly evolving range of service providers who facilitate interactions on the internet between natural (a real human being) and legal persons. Some connect users to the internet, enabling the processing of data, and host web-based services, including entities that host user-generated comments.18Council of Europe. (n.d). Internet Intermediaries. https://www.coe.int/en/web/freedom-expression/internet-intermediaries
Intersectionality: Intersectionality is a framework that helps understand the amplified discrimination that is caused when multiple inequalities or disadvantages act simultaneously and interconnectedly.19Crenshaw, K. (1989). Demarginalizing the Intersection of Race and Sex: A Black Feminist Critique of Antidiscrimination Doctrine, Feminist Theory and Antiracist Politics. University of Chicago Legal Forum, 1989 (1), pp. 139-167.
LGBTQI+: The acronym LGBTQI+ stands for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer, Intersex, and other persons. It is a broad term that refers, not exclusively, to persons who do not conform to heteronormative behaviors, persons with non-binary identities, and persons whose gender identities are different from the one they were born with.20Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights. (n.d.). OHCHR and the Human Rights of LGBTI People. https://www.ohchr.org/en/sexual-orientation-and-gender-identity
Majoritarianism: Majoritarianism is a traditional concept that argues that majority groups are entitled to primacy in society. It is mostly applied in societies that have ethnic, religious, racial, and linguistic majorities, and often leads to conflicts.21European Center for Populism Studies. (n.d.). Majoritarianism.https://www.populismstudies.org/Vocabulary/majoritarianism/
Misogyny: Misogyny is hatred of, contempt for, or prejudice against women. It is a form of sexism that is used to keep women at a lower social status than men, thus maintaining the societal roles of patriarchy.
OGBV: Online gender-based violence or OGBV is a form of gender injustice and discrimination that takes place in online spaces. This type of gender-based violence can include stalking, harassment, bullying, and unsolicited pornography, among other actions.22Sanusi, T. (2021). Online Gender-Based Violence: What You Need to Know. Global Citizen. https://www.globalcitizen.org/en/content/what-is-online-gender-based-violence-2/
Online harms: Online harms constitute online behaviour that may hurt a person physically or emotionally. It could be harmful information that is posted online or information sent to a person.
Patriarchy: Patriarchy: Patriarchy is about the social relations of power between men and women, women and women, and men and men. It is a system of maintaining class, gender, racial, and heterosexual privilege as well as the status quo of power, relying both on crude forms of oppression like violence and subtle ones like laws, to perpetuate inequality.23Asian Pacific Institute on Gender-Based Violence. (n.d.). Patriarchy and Power.https://www.api-gbv.org/about-gbv/our-analysis/patriarchy-power/
Privacy: The right to privacy means the right of a person to be left alone and to be able to control his/her own life. In the digital age, privacy also means privacy over one’s data and control over one’s existence on the internet.24K.S. Puttaswamy v. Union of India (2017), 10 SCC 1, p. 504.
Revenge porn (or Non-Consensual Intimate Image Abuse): A media-generated term used to describe the online distribution of private and sexually explicit images and videos without consent.25European Institute for Gender Equality. (2017). Cyber Violence against Women and Girls. https://eige.europa.eu/publications-resources/publications/cyber-violence-against-women-and-girls-key-terms-and-concepts#eige-files It is pertinent to note that the use of the word ‘revenge porn’ is not preferred, as the term ‘pornography’ does not emphasize the non-consensual nature of the practices, and many perpetrators are not motivated by ‘revenge’ or by any personal feelings towards the victim. Non-consensual intimate image distribution (NCIID) is to be used instead.
Social hierarchy: Social hierarchy is the organization of society in a manner that follows a vertical hierarchy that arranges people based on their group status, which causes differential access to resources and opportunities.28Roth, Z.C., & Rios, K. (2020). Social Hierarchies. In Zeigler-Hill, V., & Shackelford, T.K. (Ed.), Encyclopedia of Personality and Individual Differences. Springer. https://link.springer.com/referencework/10.1007/978-3-319-28099-8
Social media platforms: Social media platforms are a collective term for websites and applications that focus on communication, community-based input, interaction, content-sharing, and collaboration. Some examples are Facebook, TikTok, etc.29Social Media. (n.d.). Tech Target. https://www.techtarget.com/whatis/definition/social-media
Structural inequalities: Structural inequalities are inequalities that stem from historically unequal social systems, which intentionally or unintentionally favor certain categories of people over others. For example, companies that pay women lower salaries than men working in the same positions do so because of the structural biases harbored by their management, which cause them to undervalue a woman’s labor.30The Center for High Impact Philanthropy. (n.d.). What is Structural Inequality? University of Pennsylvania. https://www.impact.upenn.edu/what-is-structural-inequality/
Technology-facilitated gender-based violence (TFGBV): Technology-facilitated gender-based violence or TFGBV, is an act of violence perpetrated by one or more individuals that is committed, assisted, aggravated, and amplified, in part or fully, by the use of information and communication technologies or digital media, against a person based on their gender.31UNFPA. (2023). Brochure: What is Technology-Facilitated Gender-Based Violence? https://www.unfpa.org/resources/brochure-what-technology-facilitated-gender-based-violence
Troll: A troll is internet slang for a person who intentionally tries to instigate conflict, hostility, or arguments in an online social community. Platforms targeted by trolls can include the comment sections of YouTube, forums, or chat rooms. Trolls often use inflammatory messages to provoke emotional responses from people, disrupting otherwise civil discussion. Trolling can occur anywhere that has an open area where people can freely post their thoughts and opinions.32GCF Global. (n.d). What is Trolling?https://edu.gcfglobal.org/en/thenow/what-is-trolling/1/#
Upskirting: Upskirting is a picture taken by a man using a covert camera directed up a female’s skirt.33Gillespie, A. A. (2008). “Up-Skirts’’ and ‘‘Down-Blouses’’: Voyeurism and the Law. Criminal Law Review, pp. 370-382. https://core.ac.uk/download/pdf/9663206.pdf.
Virality: Virality is a term associated with social media and it refers to the potential of online content to reach a large audience very quickly by receiving an unusual amount of shares and dislikes. Social media platforms benefit from the virality of content, and hence their algorithms tend to promote virality by prioritizing and amplifying such posts.
Schlüter, C., Kraag, G., & Schmidt, J. (2023). Body Shaming: An Exploratory Study on its Definition and Classification. International Journal of Bullying Prevention, 5, pp. 26–3.
Gillespie, T. (2018). Custodians of the Internet: Platforms, Content Moderation, and the HiddenDecisions that Shape Social Media. Yale University Press.
8
Reimer, K., & Peter, S. (2021). Algorithmic Audiencing: Why we Need to Rethink Free Speech on Social Media. Journal of Information Technology, 36 (4).
Morgenroth, T., & Ryan, M.K. (2018). Gender Trouble in Social Psychology: How Can Butler’s Work Inform Experimental Social Psychologists’ Conceptualization of Gender? Front Psychol, 9.
14
Siwach, P. (2020). Mapping Gendered Spaces and Women’s Mobility: A Case Study of Mitathal Village, Haryana. The Oriental Anthropologist, 20 (1).
15
Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide, opened for signature 9 December 1948, 78 UNTS 277 (entered into force 12 January 1951).
Crenshaw, K. (1989). Demarginalizing the Intersection of Race and Sex: A Black Feminist Critique of Antidiscrimination Doctrine, Feminist Theory and Antiracist Politics. University of Chicago Legal Forum, 1989 (1), pp. 139-167.
Schlüter, C., Kraag, G., & Schmidt, J. (2023). Body Shaming: An Exploratory Study on its Definition and Classification. International Journal of Bullying Prevention, 5, pp. 26–3.
Gillespie, T. (2018). Custodians of the Internet: Platforms, Content Moderation, and the HiddenDecisions that Shape Social Media. Yale University Press.
8
Reimer, K., & Peter, S. (2021). Algorithmic Audiencing: Why we Need to Rethink Free Speech on Social Media. Journal of Information Technology, 36 (4).
Morgenroth, T., & Ryan, M.K. (2018). Gender Trouble in Social Psychology: How Can Butler’s Work Inform Experimental Social Psychologists’ Conceptualization of Gender? Front Psychol, 9.
14
Siwach, P. (2020). Mapping Gendered Spaces and Women’s Mobility: A Case Study of Mitathal Village, Haryana. The Oriental Anthropologist, 20 (1).
15
Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide, opened for signature 9 December 1948, 78 UNTS 277 (entered into force 12 January 1951).
Crenshaw, K. (1989). Demarginalizing the Intersection of Race and Sex: A Black Feminist Critique of Antidiscrimination Doctrine, Feminist Theory and Antiracist Politics. University of Chicago Legal Forum, 1989 (1), pp. 139-167.