RICK REA: Helping You Grow Through Online Marketing
  • Home
  • Blog
    • Social Media News
    • SEO Marketing News
    • Digital Trends News
    • Photography News
    • Mobile Marketing
    • Business News
    • Gadget News
    • Printing News
  • Contact
  • About
  • Subscribe


Men: Here's how you can be better allies for women online

3/8/2019

0 Comments

 
https://ift.tt/2CbCABB

Men: Here's how you can be better allies for women online

https://ift.tt/2IZfUuk

This piece is part of an ongoing series exploring what it means to be a woman on the internet. 


Log off. Make your account private. Block them. These are a few of the strategies women are told to use when faced with online harassment. But they miss the point. 

Emily May, the cofounder and executive director of Hollaback!, a nonprofit working to end harassment, says that in the same way that girls are told to never go outside alone at night, always carry mace, or to not wear short skirts, women are expected to make the extra effort to keep themselves safe online. 

But that approach doesn't always make sense. It shouldn't all be on women; men need to pitch in to act as effective allies and help solve the problem.

The fact is, online harassment is common. Around 41 percent of women have been sexually harassed via text, phone, and the internet, according to a 2018 study by the nonprofit Stop Street Harassment. 

Despite that, only 55 percent of American men ages 18 to 29 say online harassment is a "major problem" as compared to 83 percent of women the same age, according to a 2017 Pew Research Center survey. On top of that, more men care about free speech than human decency. Fifty-six percent of men say "people should be able to speak their minds freely online," while only 43 percent of men say "people should be able to feel welcome and safe in online spaces," according to the same survey.

Women are also more likely to be proactive in the face of harassment. Of the women who witnessed harassment, 42 percent "flag or report the harassment" as compared to 33 percent of men who witnessed harassment, according to a 2016 report by the Data and Society Research Institute, which studies social and cultural issues that stem from technology.

Inaction is harmful, though. "Often, that silence allows the abuse and harassment to continue," says Ted Bunch, the cofounder and chief development officer of A Call To Men, an organization that empowers men to redefine masculinity to prevent violence and harassment against women.  

Men don't say anything online for the same reason they don't in the physical world, Bunch says. "They've been taught to be silent about the violence that men perpetuate toward women." 

"Men have greater freedoms, often, to express themselves and to move into spaces, physical or virtual."

That's the wrong approach. Soraya Chemaly, the director of the Women’s Media Center Speech Project, says that anyone who actually cares about a functioning democracy and free speech needs to let marginalized voices be heard. "Men have greater freedoms, often, to express themselves and to move into spaces, physical or virtual. Using those privileges to help women do the same is generally a welcome and good thing," Chemaly writes in an email. The Women's Media Center is a nonprofit that advocates for women in media.

The issue extends off the internet, too. Bunch's organization coined the term "the man box," which explains that men learn a set of demeaning values: that women and girls aren't as valuable as men, that women are the property of men, and that women are sexual objects. Those three beliefs create violence and discrimination against women, he says.

Practice mindful sharing

To help prevent online harassment from happening in the first place, Chemaly advises men to amplify women's voices and retweet their thoughts and ideas.

By not elevating women's voices, Chemaly says men "create an atmosphere in which women’s voices are more likely to be isolated," adding that this is especially true when women comment about politics, sports, or technology.

“Men can set the tone on their own social channels by sharing content that values all women and girls."

It's also important to share messages that reinforce healthy masculinity, which is what A Call To Men tries to do. “Men can set the tone on their own social channels by sharing content that values all women and girls," Bunch says. His organization is currently promoting the #HealthyManhood campaign, in which men sign a pledge to listen and believe women, reflect on and challenge what they've learned about gender, talk with other men and boys about how to demonstrate healthy, respectful masculinity, and use their influence and platform to make the world a more equal place. 

Speak up and reach out

When harassment does occur, Chemaly recommends men confront the other person  — within reason. “Men can call out other men without incurring some of the same risks that women would,” she explains.

All it takes is saying something like, "Hey, that's not cool," or "That's not appropriate," adds Hollaback's May. Anything more could escalate tensions and make the situation worse. She also recommends reaching out to the person being harassed, asking if they're OK, and offering to help in whatever way they feel comfortable. 

Men can also join the HeartMob, a Hollaback! project that works like an online support group and feels like a virtual hug. As demonstrated in this video, when someone reports a case of online harassment, they can seek out help from the community. The community then provides support by sending positive messages, documenting the harassment with screenshots, or reporting the abuse on the person's behalf.

For more examples on healthy manhood, Bunch points to men like Jane the Virgin star Justin Baldoni, who explores and challenges traditional ideas of masculinity through roundtable discussions on his Facebook video series, Man Enough. Bunch also recommends looking at Dwayne D. Hayes, the founder and editor-in-chief of STAND magazine, a publication that shifts away from displaying women like objects in the way men's magazines traditionally do, and instead promotes a "balanced and whole-hearted masculinity." 

Bunch cautions men against comparing themselves to others who they think have more toxic behavior. When men separate themselves from those people by saying "I'm not that bad — look at them" they miss an opportunity for change. 

At the end of the day, it's important to safely address harassment wherever it occurs, both in the real world and online. 

“Online, like in the real world, in our communities, in the workplace, and in our homes, we want men to speak up and stand up against any kind of violence or discrimination against women and girls," says Bunch. 





Social Media

via Mashable https://ift.tt/2DCFv97

March 8, 2019 at 06:02AM

0 Comments



Leave a Reply.


    Amazing WeightLoss

    Click Here!

    Categories

    All
    Analyze Top Competitors
    Anti-Abuse
    Apple
    Apple Watch
    Blog Posts
    Brainstorm
    Brand Awareness
    Communications
    Content Marketing
    Conversion Rates
    Editorial Calendar Tips
    Engagement
    Facebook
    Google Analytics
    How To Marketing Tips
    Influencer
    Instagram
    Instagram Live
    Keyword Search
    Marketing
    Marketing Automation
    Picture Quotes
    Podcasts
    Recording Videos
    Repurpose Blogs
    Research Trends
    Sales Funnel
    SEO Marketing
    Sharing Posts
    Slide Shows
    Smartwatch
    Social Media Marketing
    Social Media News
    Social Media Tools
    Social Selling
    Target Marketing
    Twitter
    Twitter Notifications
    User Interaction
    Video
    Video Marketing

    Archives

    November 2020
    October 2020
    September 2020
    August 2020
    July 2020
    June 2020
    May 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019
    September 2019
    August 2019
    July 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017

    RSS Feed

All content copyrighted (C) 2010 ~ 2020
​All Photos & Content Used Under Creative Commons
​www.RickRea.com 701-200-7831
Privacy Policy
  • Home
  • Blog
    • Social Media News
    • SEO Marketing News
    • Digital Trends News
    • Photography News
    • Mobile Marketing
    • Business News
    • Gadget News
    • Printing News
  • Contact
  • About
  • Subscribe