Harassment and abuse of Indian women on dating apps: a narrative review of literature on technology-facilitated violence against women and dating app use

Abstract Dating app use can be precarious for Indian women, as they often face the risk of catfishing, stalking, harassment, abuse, and even physical violence. This narrative review synthesises the growing body of literature on Technology-Facilitated Violence Against Women (TFVAW), incorporating a s...

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Main Author: Benson Rajan
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Springer Nature 2025-01-01
Series:Humanities & Social Sciences Communications
Online Access:https://doi.org/10.1057/s41599-024-04286-6
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author Benson Rajan
author_facet Benson Rajan
author_sort Benson Rajan
collection DOAJ
description Abstract Dating app use can be precarious for Indian women, as they often face the risk of catfishing, stalking, harassment, abuse, and even physical violence. This narrative review synthesises the growing body of literature on Technology-Facilitated Violence Against Women (TFVAW), incorporating a specific focus on Indian women’s experiences with dating apps. While there is a growing body of research on TFVAW, the specific focus on Indian women’s experiences with dating apps remains underexplored. By building upon the broader research on TFVAW, this review aims to bridge the knowledge gap surrounding the experiences of Indian women in this context. The literature highlights several prominent types of harassment that women experience on online platforms in India. These include image-based abuse (IBA), cyberstalking, e-bile, doxing, and gender trolling. The narrative review shows that the abuse and harassment women face on dating apps have significant impacts on their mental health. Additionally, the existing dominant socio-cultural factors play an enabling role in facilitating harassment and abuse, leading some women to withdraw from dating platforms altogether.
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spelling doaj-art-95ac16a8c2b44b008813ba8a14f61d442025-01-19T12:14:05ZengSpringer NatureHumanities & Social Sciences Communications2662-99922025-01-0112111010.1057/s41599-024-04286-6Harassment and abuse of Indian women on dating apps: a narrative review of literature on technology-facilitated violence against women and dating app useBenson Rajan0School of Justice & Digital Media Research Centre, Faculty of Creative Industries, Education, and Social Justice, Queensland University of Technology (QUT)Abstract Dating app use can be precarious for Indian women, as they often face the risk of catfishing, stalking, harassment, abuse, and even physical violence. This narrative review synthesises the growing body of literature on Technology-Facilitated Violence Against Women (TFVAW), incorporating a specific focus on Indian women’s experiences with dating apps. While there is a growing body of research on TFVAW, the specific focus on Indian women’s experiences with dating apps remains underexplored. By building upon the broader research on TFVAW, this review aims to bridge the knowledge gap surrounding the experiences of Indian women in this context. The literature highlights several prominent types of harassment that women experience on online platforms in India. These include image-based abuse (IBA), cyberstalking, e-bile, doxing, and gender trolling. The narrative review shows that the abuse and harassment women face on dating apps have significant impacts on their mental health. Additionally, the existing dominant socio-cultural factors play an enabling role in facilitating harassment and abuse, leading some women to withdraw from dating platforms altogether.https://doi.org/10.1057/s41599-024-04286-6
spellingShingle Benson Rajan
Harassment and abuse of Indian women on dating apps: a narrative review of literature on technology-facilitated violence against women and dating app use
Humanities & Social Sciences Communications
title Harassment and abuse of Indian women on dating apps: a narrative review of literature on technology-facilitated violence against women and dating app use
title_full Harassment and abuse of Indian women on dating apps: a narrative review of literature on technology-facilitated violence against women and dating app use
title_fullStr Harassment and abuse of Indian women on dating apps: a narrative review of literature on technology-facilitated violence against women and dating app use
title_full_unstemmed Harassment and abuse of Indian women on dating apps: a narrative review of literature on technology-facilitated violence against women and dating app use
title_short Harassment and abuse of Indian women on dating apps: a narrative review of literature on technology-facilitated violence against women and dating app use
title_sort harassment and abuse of indian women on dating apps a narrative review of literature on technology facilitated violence against women and dating app use
url https://doi.org/10.1057/s41599-024-04286-6
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