Abstract

In a multitude of ways, the COVID-19 pandemic wreaked devastation on society. Similar to how the pandemic drove social media use, social media use has influenced the epidemic. On the other hand, a pandemic has never spread as swiftly, and social media platforms have played a key role in information distribution. Lockdown on the other hand increased the number of domestic violence cases with victims being close to their abusers for a prolonged period. Domestic violence has been known to cause mental health issues among the victims if not addressed. In this article we explore how social media came to the aid of such victims and its contribution to their mental health status.

Keywords: Social Media, Domestic violence, Mental health issues, Communities

Introduction

The emergence of the Covid 19 pandemic has resulted in more reliance on social media. Individuals and online actors may utilize these digital and interactive platforms to trade or create information, discuss ideas and interests, and express themselves in various ways. For these platforms to thrive, users must be able to communicate with one another through networks and virtual communities. Social media refers to a broad variety of platforms, not only those founded and maintained by a particular social media firm or organization, such as Facebook and Twitter. Social networking and Internet 2.0 apps may also be linked (Cinelli et al., 2020).

Furthermore, social media may include any digitally generated information individuals generate while connecting online. In addition to content, social media depends on the formation of social networks among its users. Individuals may communicate with one another using platforms that connect their profiles. These social networking sites may be accessed via various devices, including computers and cellphones. Because of technology improvements, people may now communicate across several social media sites. This study focuses on using social media by domestic violence professionals to treat mental health issues.

Domestic abuse affects one out of every three people around the globe at some point in their lives. Domestic violence equally affects people of all ages, nationalities, and socioeconomic backgrounds. It is characterized by acts of physical, sexual, and psychological abuse to enslave the victim. Domestic violence cases, particularly assaults on women, have increased significantly during the COVID-19 epidemic (Cinelli et al., 2020). Even though lockdown has cut crime in Australia by 40%, it has led to a 5% increase in domestic abuse cases. According to Google Trends data, there has been a 75% surge in internet searches for domestic abuse victims seeking aid. 

Domestic abuse is becoming more prevalent in many nations, including China. It has been suggested that COVID-19 accounts for a 90 percent increase in violence allegations against women in Jianli, a city in Hubei Province (Subramani & O’Connor, 2018). According to another alarming figure, the number of women killed by their domestic partners in the United Kingdom (UK) increased twice between March 23rd and April 12th, 2020, compared to the average yearly rates of the preceding decade. The fact that, despite prior studies showing distinct differences in male and female responses to domestic abuse, recent research indicates that both situations are becoming more common and should not be overlooked. For example, acts of aggression aimed toward males in a violent environment. In light of the troubling trend of violence against men, which ranges from 3.4 to 20.3 percent, additional research is needed to understand better the cultural and societal perspectives of victimization and the barriers to help-seeking behavior across victim demographic groups, among other things.

It is believed that 10 million individuals in the United States are victims of domestic violence every year. Statistics from law enforcement groups show that violence against an intimate partner accounts for 15 percent of all violent crimes (Subramani & O’Connor, 2018). Throughout the infection’s development, millions of victims have been compelled to spend extended periods in isolation with their abusers, and the number of such victims continues to rise. The emergence of Covid 19 had a serious impact on social media usage across that period. As a result of the coronavirus outbreak in 2020, many aspects of people’s lives were altered, not the least of which is, without a doubt, how they use and interact with the internet (Wong et al., 2021). Americans spent an average of 65 minutes per day on social media in 2020, up from 54 minutes in 2019 and 56 minutes in 2018. In 2016, Americans spent 54 minutes per day on social media. It is expected that the number of time people spends on social networking sites will stay constant over the next several years. Increased social media gave room for many domestic violence victims a voice to share their problems.

For several reasons, including having children involved in the relationship, victims of domestic abuse may find it difficult to leave or seek assistance (Subramani & O’Connor, 2018). As a result, many domestic abuse victims turned to social media to connect with others and seek assistance from others who understand their situation. Violence against women victims had access to an abundance of internet resources that they utilized without worrying about their abusers finding out. Reddit, a famous website with subforums devoted to hobbies and relationship advice, became a good place for domestic abuse victims to turn for assistance (Subramani & O’Connor, 2018). After seeing an upsurge in the number of requests for assistance from domestic violence victims, an independent counselor offered her services for free. It was she who aided the victims in building safety techniques and referred them to other resources.

Domestic violence organizations utilize code words and phrases on their social media platforms to urge abuse victims to seek help (Subramani & O’Connor, 2018). They issued a statement on their Facebook page inviting anybody who needed assistance with cake recipes to contact them immediately. When asked about the pineapple incident, the poster claimed they know how to call the police or other resources to assist victims. The message was deleted shortly after. There is much power in numbers. Even social media sites such as Snapchat provide refuge services to those fleeing abusive relationships. Using these resources, you can quickly develop an escape strategy and get yourself out of a difficult situation.

Victims of domestic violence are not only a danger of physical injury, but they are also at risk of psychological trauma. Those who have ever been a victim of domestic violence  understand how difficult it can be to give authority over their personal life to their spouse or partner (Subramani & O’Connor, 2018). Victims are becoming more common to use messaging programs and social media sites to convey their assistance needs while staying anonymous. As of today, Instagram’s new “Vanish Mode” enables users to exchange messages without leaving a trace of the conversation. This implies that everything discussed between users is erased from the internet when they leave their inboxes (Subramani & O’Connor, 2018). User-to-user interactions are made possible by the Snapchat program, which lets users send one another brief messages in text dialogues, videos, or photographs. Victims of domestic violence may use this to provide evidence anonymously or contact out for assistance.

With programs such as WhatsApp and Confide, individuals may now conduct private talks with other people (Subramani & O’Connor, 2018). If a victim is concerned about their privacy, Confide can encrypt their communications and capture them by other parties. Victims of domestic violence should use extreme caution when disclosing information about their abusers to outside parties. For victims of domestic abuse, the internet has long been a reliable source of information and assistance. If a victim is uncomfortable asking for assistance in person, they’ll feel more comfortable asking for aid online since the internet is anonymous. When victims live with their abusers or share a computer with them, websites that make it easy for them to quit the page may be beneficial (Malathesh et al., 2020).

The National Domestic Abuse Hotline’s website is a great source of information for victims of domestic violence (Malathesh et al., 2020). When a user has reason to believe that their abuser is approaching or observing them, they may click on the red X in the corner of their screen to go to Google’s search page. It is possible to delete a page from the browser history by clicking on the red X button, which stays frozen in place on the screen as an extra level of protection and safety for users. Throughout the crisis, social media was the most effective means of connecting victims of domestic abuse (Malathesh et al., 2020). The quantity and quality of connections a person has in their life impacts both their mental and physical health. I believe it’s hard to overstate the importance of having a solid social network and having excellent mental health. The practice has been linked to decreased rates of anxiety and depression, improved levels of self-esteem and empathy, and more trusting and cooperative interpersonal connections. People who have strong, healthy relationships are more likely to have stronger immune systems, recover from disease, and live longer lives.

One mental health solution is spending time with people who care for and comfort the victim. After understanding the predicaments of the victims, others people may feel compelled to spend time with them, which is excellent news since many of these advantages may increase their pleasure and sense of satisfaction (Malathesh et al., 2020). When individuals rely on one another for support, they create a positive circle of happiness that benefits the mind, body, and spirit. On the other hand, social media has been criticized for re-traumatizing victims of domestic abuse. To avoid re-traumatizing victims, people should get their permission before using any video footage obtained by a witness for any purpose other than their enjoyment (Bashir & Bhat, 2017). No matter the circumstances, it is always advisable to consent before proceeding. Exposure to such violence on victims may further only increase aggression from their abusers.

Further to this, exposing such material may unexpectedly ruin the reputation and connection of victims with society.In recent studies, it has been shown that online victimization is becoming a rising public health risk (Bashir & Bhat, 2017). Up until now, the number of students who have admitted to writing derogatory remarks about another person on social media has increased from 14 percent to 28 percent. One in every three women and one in every ten men has been the victim of online sexual harassment at some point in their lives. The results of a recent survey revealed that more than 40 percent of domestic violence victims say they have seen or  been the subject of internet abuse. Suicidal thoughts and feelings have been linked to online victimization experiences, as well as to despair, drug abuse, and criminal activity, among other things.

Conclusion

Domestic violence affects individuals of all ages and has the potential to cause severe illness or death. However, even though victims of domestic violence suffer from a wide variety of psychological issues, multidisciplinary strategies have been created to aid them in coping with these difficulties. Several examples include individualized shelter-housing approaches, education programs, evacuation plans, laws and regulations, and increasingly technologically based mental health therapies. Increased multifaceted and interdisciplinary approaches are necessary to avoid domestic violence during and after the pandemic, especially those that may use technology’s widespread availability and low cost.

References

Bashir, H., & Bhat, S. A. (2017). Effects of social media on mental health: A review. International Journal of Indian Psychology, 4(3), 125-131. https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Shabir-Bhat/publication/323018957_Effects_of_Social_Media_on_Mental_Health_A_Review/links/5a7c9e97aca272341aeb7472/Effects-of-Social-Media-on-Mental-Health-A-Review.pdf

Cinelli, M., Quattrociocchi, W., Galeazzi, A., Valensise, C. M., Brugnoli, E., Schmidt, A. L., Zola, P., Zollo, F., & Scala, A. (2020). The COVID-19 Social Media Infodemic. Nature. 101),. https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-020-73510-5.

Malathesh, B. C., Das, S., & Chatterjee, S. S. (2020). COVID-19 and domestic violence against women. Asian journal of psychiatry, 53, 102227. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7295494/

Subramani, S., & O’Connor, M. (2018). Extracting actionable knowledge from domestic violence discourses on social media. arXiv preprint arXiv:1807.02391. https://arxiv.org/abs/1807.02391

Wong, A., Ho, S., Olusanya, O., Antonini, M. V., & Lyness, D. (2021). The use of social media and online communications in times of pandemic COVID-19. Journal of the Intensive Care Society, 22(3), 255-260. https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/1751143720966280