Exploring Informal Justice and Technology in Rape Cases
Introduction
Communication technologies perpetuate and challenge sexual violence.
Scholarship on technology's role in reporting and justice is limited.
Technologies mediate new mechanisms of informal justice outside state systems.
Case Studies of Rape and Technology Use
Steubenville case exemplifies digital evidence aiding formal justice.
Social media can also amplify victim-blaming and harassment.
Counter-campaigns like #IamJada show technology's role in informal justice.
Challenges of Informal Justice
Digital evidence can facilitate or complicate formal justice outcomes.
Victims face ongoing trauma from digital harassment and public scrutiny.
Naming and shaming can blur lines between justice and vigilantism.
Theoretical Framework
Technosocial practices illustrate new informal justice mechanisms.
Informal justice needs reflect failures of traditional systems.
Feminist theorizing of technology reveals complex power dynamics online.
Conclusion
Informal justice mechanisms are increasingly necessary for victim-survivors.
Technologies reshape notions of agency and justice in the digital age.
Future scholarship should explore innovative justice mechanisms beyond formal systems.
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