Conceptual Framework: TFGBV and the Politics of Digital
Citizenship
Technology-Facilitated Gender-Based Violence (TFGBV) represents a structural,
rather than individual, form of harm. It emerges at the intersection of patriarchal
power, digital infrastructure, and democratic exclusion, reproducing offline
inequalities within the online sphere. This study conceptualizes TFGBV not merely
as a violation of women’s rights but as a mechanism that restricts democratic
participation by silencing women’s voices, shaping behavior through fear, and
undermining trust in digital citizenship.
In this context, three key concepts underpin this study: the chilling effect that
describes how fear of reprisal deters individuals from exercising rights such as
freedom of expression14 and digital patriarchy, a term used to describe how
technologies and online behaviours reinforce gender hierarchies15. Finally, this
study links TFGBV to the broader concept of digital citizenship, the ability to
participate meaningfully in civic and political life through online platforms16 and
how TFGBV is a hindrance to achieving functional digital citizenship for all.
Key Concept: The Chilling Effect
From a legal, state-level point of view, the chilling effect is defined as: “the
negative effect any state action has on natural and/or legal persons, and which
results in preemptively dissuading them from exercising their rights of fulfilling
their professions obligations, for fear of being subject to formal state
proceedings which could lead to sanctions or informal consequences such as
threats, attacks or smear campaigns”17. However, the chilling effect has started
to be used not only as a description for state action, but for how some social
media narratives and digital campaigns are designed to push certain groups
away from participating and expressing their beliefs online. In this context,
these social media narratives are distinguished by misogynistic hate speech,
often sexual in nature, that preys on the public image of the victim to “chill
their active participation.”18.
The chilling effect aims to diminish the overall visibility of women and their
influence in digital arenas where significant democratic dialogues occur. By
driving women away from these spaces, TFGBV marginalizes them from
14
Frederick Schauer, “Fear, Risk and the First Amendment: Unraveling the Chilling Effect,” College of William & Mary Law
School, 1978, https://scholarship.law.wm.edu/facpubs/879.
15
Yuanita Aprilandini Siregar et al., “Digital Patriarchy on Arab Women in Urban Area:,” Proceedings of the 3rd
International Conference on Social and Political Development, SCITEPRESS - Science and Technology Publications, 2019,
407–13, https://doi.org/10.5220/0010035204070413.
16
Karen Mossberger et al., Digital Citizenship: The Internet, Society, and Participation, 2nd ed. (MIT Press, 2010).
17
Laurent Pech, “The Concept of Chilling Effect,” Open Society Eruropean Policy Institute, 2021,
https://www.opensocietyfoundations.org/uploads/c8c58ad3-fd6e-4b2d-99fa-d8864355b638/the-concept-of-chillingeffect-20210322.pdf.
18
Julie Posetti et al., The Chilling: Global Trends in Online Violence Against Women Journalists; Research Discussion Paper,
Programme and meeting document (UNESCO, 2021), 6, https://unesdoc.unesco.org/ark:/48223/pf0000377223.
7