How Digital Devices Can Become Weapons in our Relationships
The World Health Organization identifies intimate partner violence as a global crisis primarily affecting women’s health and safety. Over the past decade, there has been a significant rise in technology-facilitated abuse within relationships, leading to concerns about its impact on victims.
Technology, a central part of modern life, exacerbates intrusive and controlling behaviours. This issue is especially troubling as digital media and devices are increasingly weaponized, with consequences for victims. The harmful behaviours involved in technology-facilitated abuse include online tracking, threats, harassment, unauthorized access to personal information, doxxing, impersonation, and actions designed to humiliate, stalk, coerce, and control a partner. These actions compromise the freedom to use technology for daily activities.
Understanding and addressing the issues are hindered by the limited insight into why some individuals decide to engage in technology-facilitated abuse. Research often focuses on victim perspectives with limited emphasis and understanding of the motivations of perpetuation. Engaging with individuals who acknowledge they were perpetrators of technology-facilitated abuse is vital for intervention and prevention. There was a recent study where individuals who self-identified as using technology in a harmful way in their relationship found that anger was the most common trigger for abuse. This and a desire for control which was justified by a suspicion of the partner.
The responsibility lies with technology developers and governments. Technology companies can develop tools to detect and intervene in technology-facilitated abuse, while governments can incorporate information on such behaviours into education and awareness programs. Understating the motivations of perpetrators and involving technological sectors are key to preventing technology-facilitated abuse.
