Digital Citizenship and Conflict: Social Media Governance and Online Harassment
Social media platforms are often portrayed as spaces of connection, community building, and democratic participation. But what happens when these digital spaces become sites of conflict and harassment? Week 10 of our digital communities journey explores the complex terrain of digital citizenship within contested online environments.
Let's consider a recent example: In January 2022, Australia implemented the Online Safety Act 2021, empowering authorities to compel social media platforms to remove seriously harmful content within 24 hours of receiving formal notice. This legislation represents a significant shift in how we govern digital spaces, recognizing that platforms must bear responsibility for the environments they create.
The concept of digital citizenship extends far beyond simply using technology responsibly. As Mossberger et al. (2008: 1) describe, digital citizenship involves "the membership and participation of individuals within society" through digital means. However, this participation is often complicated by power dynamics that determine who gets to speak and who is silenced through harassment.
Marwick and Caplan (2018) demonstrate that online harassment isn't merely individual bad behavior but often organized and networked action. Their research on "networked harassment" reveals how coordinated attacks using techniques like doxxing, image-based abuse, and intimidation have been refined through controversies such as Gamergate, disproportionately targeting marginalized groups.
The research is clear about who bears the brunt of online harassment. Plan International's 'Free To Be Online' report (2020) found that 59% of girls across 31 countries had experienced abusive language online. Similarly, Haslop, O'Rourke & Southern (2021) documented how women and transgender individuals face significantly higher rates of harassment. These findings were reinforced by The Guardian's analysis of 70 million comment threads, which found that of the 10 writers receiving the most abuse, eight were women (Gardiner et al., 2016).
When it comes to addressing these issues, multiple approaches exist. Legal remedies like Australia's Online Safety Act provide regulatory frameworks, but these must be complemented by platform-level content moderation, advocacy groups, and corporate social responsibility initiatives. As Vitis and Gilmour (2016) note, "women are also using online platforms as a way of engaging, resisting and responding to harassment," demonstrating how digital citizenship involves claiming space despite opposition.
Social media governance happens at both macro and micro levels - from international legislation to community moderation in Facebook Groups and subreddits. This multi-layered governance structure raises important questions about who controls online spaces and whose interests are served in their regulation.
What does true digital citizenship look like in environments where harassment is normalized? Can we create digital communities that foster inclusive participation while effectively addressing harmful behavior? And what responsibility do platforms, users, and governments each bear in creating healthier online spaces?
References
Gardiner, B., Mansfield, M., Anderson, I., Holder, J., Louter, D. & Ulmanu, M. 2016, 'The dark side of Guardian comments', The Guardian, viewed 20 March 2025, https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2016/apr/12/the-dark-side-of-guardian-comments.
Haslop, C., O'Rourke, F. & Southern, R. 2021, '#NoMorePage3: Feminist activism for media reform', Digital Journalism, vol. 9, no. 6, pp. 812-830.
Marwick, A.E. & Caplan, R. 2018, 'Drinking male tears: language, the manosphere, and networked harassment', Feminist Media Studies, vol. 18, no. 4, pp. 543-559.
Mossberger, K., Tolbert, C.J. & McNeal, R.S. 2008, Digital citizenship: The internet, society, and participation, MIT Press, Cambridge.
Plan International 2020, Free to be online? Girls' and young women's experiences of online harassment, Plan International, Surrey.
Vitis, L. & Gilmour, F. 2017, 'Dick pics on blast: A woman's resistance to online sexual harassment using humour, art and Instagram', Crime Media Culture, vol. 13, no. 3, pp. 335-355.















