Revenge Pornography

"Revenge pornography" involves the online posting of sexually explicit media without the featured individual’s consent. Most commonly, the material in question is posted by an ex-partner. Almost unknown prior to 2010, both the phenomenon itself and the attention devoted to it have grown enormously in recent years. This pioneering study adopts a discursive psychology approach and examines revenge porn from the perspective of the perpetrators themselves. It studies the complex ways in which they invoke gender and sexuality, and the discourses they deploy in blaming the victim for the violent form of revenge chosen. This enhanced understanding of the perpetrator mindset provides important insights into the use of social media to facilitate gender violence, and holds the promise of more effective intervention in future. Important reading for researchers and students in gender, violence and the law, it will also appeal to psychologists, sociologists, feminists, and anyone with an interest in the gender and sexuality issues online.