Online gender-based violence can have various effects both personally and socially. At a personal level, it affects the life of the person who suffers the violence, both physically and mentally; at a social level, it can cause women to censor themselves and refrain from speaking freely. As a consequence, there is a restriction on the ability of women to be present and take part in the various online activism movements and communities. In other words, these situations limit the degree of participation of women in debates of public interest or decision-making processes, and perpetuate the way in which digital citizenship spaces were built: based on the exclusion of women and other minority groups.
There are several dimensions from which to analyze the consequences and impact of digital violence on the victims:
Physical impact
- Sweating.
- Pain in different parts of the body (head, back, stomach).
- Loss of/increased appetite.
- Tension.
- Crying.
Emotional impact
- Stress.
- Anxiety.
- Rage.
- Anger.
- Fear.
- Helplessness.
- Frustration.
- Depression.
- Paranoia.
- Tiredness and confusion.
Diverse impacts
- Fear of going out and exposing oneself.
- Self-limitation of mobility.
- Abandoning the use of technologies.
- Self-censorship.
- Feeling of being constantly monitored and surveilled.
GENDER VIOLENCE FACILITATED BY TECHNOLOGY IS REAL WHETHER ONLINE OR OFFLINE THE VIOLENCE IS ONE THE IMPACT IS THE SAME