An Analysis of Cyberbullying —A Case of the Pink Hair Girl Incident
Abstract
In China’s social media, Zheng Linghua suffered from negative comments and cyber violence for her pink hair colour. By basing upon this pink hair girl incident, this essay will talk about the anonymity of social media and connects this particularity of online community with misogynous comments. On social media, anonymity could diminish the emotional connection between comment recipients and comment senders and reduce the effect of taboo. As result, anonymity contributes to the raising of negative comments, enlarges the disparity between recipient and commenters and encourages the use of words relative to sexual humiliation. And the over-continuing conflict shown in this incident is also researched in this essay. It is the gift-return violence which keeps the online conflict going. This essay finds that for constituting a peaceful and friendly online community, it requires many efforts coming from different aspects. And it is important to see women’s power and to let people realize the difference between real life and online life.
References
- Hargittai E, Hsieh YP. (2013) Digital Inequality, ed Dutton W. Oxford Univ Press, Oxford, 129–150.
- Zhi Xu, Shan Gao. (2019) The Internalization of Gender Discrimination in Internet Female Autonomous Region : A Study on the Female Sexism Discourse in Self-Media Beauty Videos. Chinese Journal of Journalism & Communication, 41(6), 145-163.
- Ferrara, K., Brunner, H., & Whittemore, G. (191). Interactive written discourse as an emergent register. Written Communication, 8(1), 8–34.
- ITU/UNESCO Broadband Commission for Sustainable Development. (2022, June 30). Cyber Violence against Women and Girls: A world-wide wake-up call - Broadband Commission. Broadband Commission. Retrieved from https://www.broadbandcommission.org/publication/cyber-violence-against-women/
- Duggan, M., Author, N. (2020). Online Harassment 2017. Pew Research Center: Internet, Science & Tech. Retrieved from https://www.pewresearch.org/internet/2017/07/11/online-harassment-2017/
- Mantilla, K. (2013). Gendertrolling: Misogyny adapts to new media. Feminist studies, 39(2), 563-570.
- Johnson, A. C. (1998). The Blackwell Dictionary of Sociology: A User’s Guide to Sociological Language. Contemporary Sociology, 27(1), 112.
- Bataille, G. (1986). Erotism: Death and Sensuality. City Lights Books. 35-48.
- Davenport, D. M. (2002). Anonymity on the Internet: why the price may be too high. Communications of the ACM, 45(4), 33–35.
- Mauss, M. (2002). The Gift: The Form and Reason for Exchange in Archaic Societies. Routledge, 16-18, 54, 106.
- Balka, E. (1999). Where Have All the Feminist Technology Critics Gone?. Loka Alert, 6(6), 11.