ABSTRACT
The ideal of an open, all-inclusive, and participatory Internet has been undermined by the rise of misogynistic abuse on social media platforms. Despite the plethora of evidence illustrating how widespread this now is, responses have been rather stagnant. The changes in use of the Internet, and the increased number of engaged participants has led to a huge expansion in the last decade. The Internet at its origin was not designed to be dominated by participatory ‘social’ platforms – despite its communicatory beginnings – that encourage engagement to the point of addiction. Misogyny as a phenomenon is not new – it has a persistent presence and takes a number of different forms, irrespective of medium. Traditionally, misogyny has been present in offline, personal, and physical interactions. However, with the spread of technology and mobile Internet, the online realm, too, is providing a home for online misogynistic behaviours.
