Document detail

Violence against women in elections online: a social media analysis tool

Washington, DC: International Foundation for Electoral Systems (IFES); USAID (2019), 72 pp.
"Around the world, women frequently experience harassment and violence when they decide to exercise their civil and political rights. Information and communication technologies (ICTs) have created new vehicles for violence against women in elections (VAWIE), including violence that takes place on social media and in private messaging. These forms of violence are compounded by the anonymity and scale that online media platforms provide. VAWIE-Online is a means to silence women who publicly engage in political life through fear, shame and intimidation. This violence is different from the online violence and harassment experienced by politically active men in its underlying intent, its multiplied impact, as well as its frequency, form, and content. The VAWIE-Online Social Media Analysis Tool (VAWIE-Online Tool) offers an adaptable method to measure the gendered aspects and understand the drivers of online election violence against women. The primary purpose of this tool is to identify trends and patterns of online violence around electoral periods. More specifically, the tool will allow users to identify the scope, breadth, and intensity of VAWIE-Online. Using artificial intelligence-based data analysis tools, the VAWIE-Online Tool quantifies and categorizes social media data to identify and distinguish forms of online violence. By incorporating this analysis of online violence into broader analysis of gender in elections, electoral stakeholders can better understand this issue in their respective countries and can begin to address it through their work. This guide is intended for use by civil society organizations (CSOs), election and human rights monitors and observers, and other activist and research groups seeking to analyze online violence against women in elections. It is constructed as a step-by-step tool to introduce users to social media analysis, specifically data mining and sentiment analysis. Although this tool is written to provide an introduction and overview for general users, data mining and sentiment analysis are sophisticated research approaches and users of this guide will find it helpful to work with a team that has experience in data analytics and a background in working on gender-based violence (GBV) and electoral politics." (p.2)
Contents
PART I. UNDERSTANDING ELECTION VIOLENCE & GENDER IN ONLINE SPACES, 2
What is VAWIE? 3
Why is VAWIE important in online spaces? 8
Understanding Ecosystems of VAWIE-Online, 10
What are data mining and sentiment analysis? Why we are using them to track VAWIE-Online? 12
PART II. CONDUCTING A VAWIE-ONLINE SOCIAL MEDIA ANALYSIS, 15
Step 1: Set Up the Study, 15
Step 2: Run the Analysis, 30
Step 3: Analyze results, 45
PART III. USING THE DATA: STAKEHOLDER RESPONSES, 51
Election Management Bodies -- Lawmakers -- Law Enforcement and Security Sector -- Political Parties -- Media -- Social Media Companies and Internet Governing Bodies -- GBV Service Providers -- Advocates and Civic Educators -- Real-time Response
PART IV. CONCLUSION, 54
Annex 1: Online Violence Terms, 55
Annex 2: Data Analysis Key Terms, 60
Annex 3: VAWIE-Online Social Media Analysis Tool - Worksheet for Setting Up a Study, 61
1. Identifying Categories of Potential Targets to Monitor, 61
2. Define the Lexicon for Monitoring, 67
3. Define which Social Media to Monitor, 68
Annex 4: Database examples, 69
Annex 5: Self-Run Platforms, 71