A video about bad behavior online… leading to cyberbullying. In his latest YouTube video, Squeezie, along with videographers Gotaga and Kameto, confronted people who were banned from the three streamers’ Twitch channels for various reasons. These people had to explain why, in their opinion, they should be “must”. To make their decision, the cameramen could rely on a pre-selected audience and ask for the opinion of some of its members.
A young woman in the audience, named Audrey, notably chimed in several times. But some internet users judged her to be “too first grade” for this partly humorous format. Audrey has picked up a lot of insults on Twitter, but also on TikTok, some of which are about her physique. Squeezie defended her in a tweet on Wednesday, saying that “the video exposes exactly what you are doing here: insulting, assaulting, harassing, because we are anonymous.”
He spoke again during a Twitch live on Wednesday night, stating that “if it was a guy that had this behavior, you would have it ten times less harsh.”
“Just talk to Maghla [NDLR: une vidéaste ayant dénoncé le cyberharcèlement qu’elle subit] or to streamers to understand the difference in treatment between a boy who says things and a girl who says things on the Internet”, he added.
Harassment with sexist characteristics
Many Internet users have contradicted the youtuber, believing that the facts would have been the same if it were a man. In fact, Internet culture promotes “a culture of strong derision, so it’s likely that a man was also insulted” for putting a bit of seriousness into the Squeezie video, sociologist Margot Déage tells BFMTV.com. But this cyberbullying specialist also points out that one of the characteristics of cybersexism is uttering physical insults.
The Hubertine Auclert center, the Ile-de-France center for gender equality, also points out that Audrey “is attacked as a woman who has spoken”, with sexist cyber-violence related in particular to her clothing and “her appearance that would transgress the gender standards”. (which defines how she should be a ‘real girl’) like her shaved hair”, develops the organization specializing in cybersexism with BFMTV.com.
A “logic of male dominance”
The Hubertine Auclert center sees it as “a mandate” to “silence” Audrey: “just like in public space, women are encouraged to be invisible in cyberspace.” “Les actes de violencia en ligne peuvent contraindre les femmes à se retire d’Internet”, observed also in 2018 the rapporteuse spéciale de l’ONU sur la violencia en ligne à l’égard des femmes et des filles du point de vue des droits of man. Her report also highlighted the social isolation and psychological impact that cybersexism can have on victims.
Squeezie’s video refers to the codes that revolve around justice: it takes place in a real court, according to the cameraman, who is disguised as a judge.
Internet, an unequal space
The Internet reproduces, and sometimes amplifies, the unequal dynamics that characterize society. According to the “Sexism Barometer” published in January by the Higher Council for Equality between Women and Men, 55% of French people believe that women and men are not treated equally on social networks and only 32% do. sees as an egalitarian. space (13% do not know).
These inequalities are also seen in online bullying. According to a Pew Research Center study, American men “are slightly more likely than women to report experiencing some form of online harassment (43% vs. 38%), but similar proportions of men and women faced more of this type of abuse.”
In the study by this American research center published in January 2021, for example, women are more likely than men to report having been sexually harassed online (16% vs. 5%). This is particularly the case among the very young: “33% of women under 35 say they have been victims of sexual harassment online, compared to 11% of men under 35.”
2 years in prison and a fine of 30,000 euros
In situations like this, statements like Squeezie’s can save lives, according to Marie-Pierre Badré, president of the Hubertine Auclert center. She considers her word important since the content creator has “an aura among young people.”
The victim can also file a complaint because cyberbullying is a crime. Legally, cyberbullying refers to the fact of making repeated comments or behaviors on the network with the aim or effect of degrading the living conditions of the victim.
Harassment can also be characterized when “the words or behaviors are imposed on the same victim, successively, by several people who, even in the absence of consultation, know that those words or behaviors characterize a repetition,” according to the Penal Code. So even if an internet user just sends an insulting message to another, if he knows that person has been insulted by other people, it’s still bullying. The penalty for cyberbullying is two years in prison and a fine of 30,000 euros.
Two toll-free numbers dedicated to bullying
In case of cyberbullying, you can dial 3018. This number is available from Monday to Saturday from 9:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m.
Source: BFM TV
