An Analysis of Anti Gender-Based Street Harassment Mobile Applications

Authors

  • Madeleine Weiss Stanford University

Keywords:

Gender-Based Street Harassment

Abstract

Gender-Based Street Harassment (GBSH) refers to unwanted actions or remarks directed to strangers in a public location based on their perceived gender. In order to mitigate GBSH, the early anti-GBSH movement employed strategies like protests, ad-campaigns and educating men.[i] Although the movement still makes use of these tactics, it recently took on a larger online presence with the increased popularity of online activism. Even more recently, beginning in 2013 with the creation of the Hollaback! app, the mobile app became an internationally popular platform for the anti-GBSH movement. This paper will examine three of these apps. Based on analyses of both the GBSH apps themselves and publications on them, this paper will argue that, although the features of these apps may empower women and make them feel safer, they do not necessarily increase women's mobility or actually make them safer as the apps claim. Furthermore, there is no evidence that these apps have the power to decrease GBSH incidents, despite what the app developers claim. There is even reason to believe that the broad claims app developers make about the power of these apps may ironically inhibit progress in the anti-GBSH movement.

[i] Holly Kearl, Stop Street Harassment: Making Public Places Safe and Welcoming for Women (2010). 

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Published

2016-06-15

Issue

Vol. 9 No. 3 (2016)

Section

STS and Our Cities

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