Description / Abstract
This presentation explores the relationship between young people’s affective experiences, digital media environments, and gender-based violence. Starting from the recognition that intimacy, emotional expression, and relationship practices are increasingly shaped through digital platforms, the talk examines how social media, messaging apps, influencers, and algorithmic cultures contribute both to the reproduction and the contestation of gender inequalities and violent behaviors.
Particular attention will be paid to the ways in which young people negotiate norms of masculinity and femininity online, experience forms of emotional control and surveillance, and encounter practices such as harassment, hate speech, non-consensual image sharing, and digital abuse within intimate relationships. At the same time, the presentation will highlight the ambivalent role of digital media as spaces for awareness, peer support, activism, and the development of new affective and relational imaginaries.
Drawing on recent research on youth cultures and digital intimacy, the intervention aims to reflect on how gender-based violence among younger generations cannot be understood separately from contemporary media ecosystems. The discussion will also address the need for media literacy, affective education, and critical approaches capable of fostering more inclusive, respectful, and non-violent forms of online and offline relationships.
