Cybercrimes

Full Article Title: Slutpage Use Among U.S. College Students: The Secret and Social Platforms of Image‑Based Sexual Abuse

Open Access: No

Abstract

The phenomenon of “slutpages,” tied to high schools, fraternities, and the military, used to post, share, and comment on nude and semi-nude images of women, has emerged in mass media. To our knowledge, this is the frst study to empirically investigate slutpage use behaviors including: visiting slutpages, posting nude images/videos online without consent, and using a vault app to store/share nude images. We conducted a survey of undergraduate college students attending a large Midwestern university in the U.S., with 1867 respondents (36.4% cis/transgender men, 63.6% cisgender women; 18–24 years old M =20.39) to determine who is engaging in slutpage use behaviors. Our results showed that younger participants and men were more likely to engage in slutpage use behaviors than older participants and women, especially if they participated in Greek Life or played a team sport for their university. Men in a fraternity or on a team sport visited slutpages and posted nude images/video online without consent more frequently than men outside these groups, or women in general. Drinking alcohol and using pornography more frequently were also associated with slutpage use behaviors. This study provides a new understanding of slutpages as a social form of image-based sexual abuse and informs researchers, educators, and policy makers to expand their inquiry into online sexual experiences and exploitation to include this phenomenon.

Relevance

“Slutpages” are defined as “digitally created groups, websites, or email listservs intended to share nude or semi-nude photos of others, usually girls and women, generally without their knowledge or consent, and with the ability for users to comment on their appearance, sexuality, and sexual experiences.”  This study concluded that, among other things, more internet pornography use was “associated with more frequent slutpage visitation and nonconsensual nude image/video posting.”

Citation

Maas, M.K., Cary, K. M., Clancy, E. M., Klettke, B., McCauley, H. L., & Temple, J. R. (2021). Slutpage Use Among U.S. College Students: The Secret and Social Platforms of Image-Based Sexual Abuse. Archives of Sexual Behavior 50, 2203–2214. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10508-021-01920-1