Remote Female Fixation –A Grounded Theory on Semi Illegal Sharing of Nude Imagery Online
As a graduate student Hilde Otteren developed a classic grounded theory which provides new knowledge on the actors behind semi-illegal sharing of sexualized images of young girls in online communities.
Main content
In her study, Hilde gathered data gathered from 20 different online comment sections of the Norwegian branch of a global, anonymous community with a reputation for extensive sharing of nude images of young women. By carefully analyzing the data, she found that the forum's users had an ongoing need to master their own female fixations, which were satisfied through the process of remote female fixation.
Four strategies
In this process, forum users engaged in four interdependent strategies: continuous competition, loyalty-based inclusion, irregular rewarding, and tactical negotiation.
The study may help explain the increasing presence of sexual abuse in digital environments. A further developed theory coauthored with Astrid Gynnild will be published in an international open access journal in the spring of 2021.
“Participating in the activities of the ViSmedia project challenged my knowledge,” Hilde Otteren says. “I was included in a network of professionals that had great impact on my work and my role as a student,” she continues. “I got experience with writing academic articles, as well as broadening my scope through the work of other researchers. These learning lessons influenced my work afterwards and also taught me the joy of doing research.” Read Otteren´s thesis here