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A girl was allegedly raped in the metaverse. Is this the beginning of a dark new future?
The cheerful language with which tech companies describe their platforms is often in stark contrast to the dark possibilities lurking within them. Meta, for example, describes its virtual world, the metaverse, as “the next evolution in social connection and the successor to the mobile internet”, a place where “virtual reality lets you explore new worlds and shared experiences”. But for a young girl in the UK recently, that “shared experience” was an alleged gang rape perpetrated by several adult men.
British police are investigating the sexual assault of the girl, identified only as being under the age of 16, in what is said to be the first investigation of its kind in the UK. The girl was reportedly wearing a virtual reality headset and playing an immersive game in the metaverse when her avatar was attacked.
Was this really rape? some have asked. The comments on an Instagram post for a story about the case in the New York Post were characteristically skeptical: “Couldn’t she have just turned it off?” “Can we focus on real-life crime please?” “I was killed in [the war video game Call of Duty],” one person said sarcastically: “Been waiting for my killer to be brought to justice.”
The difference, of course, is that while Call of Duty players can expect to be virtually killed sometimes as part of the game, the girl had no reason to expect that she would be raped. It isn’t yet known what game she was playing when the alleged assault occurred, but obviously there isn’t an online game where the goal for adult players is to rape children. The fact that they are able to in the metaverse is the issue at the heart of this case, which has attracted international attention.
The question of whether virtual rape is “really rape” goes back to at least 1993, when the Village Voice published an article by Julian Dibbell about “a rape in cyberspace”. Dibbell’s piece reported on how the people behind avatars that were sexually assaulted in a virtual community felt emotions similar to those of victims of physical rape.
https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2024/jan/05/metaverse-sexual-assault-vr-game-online-safety-meta
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snowybirdie
(6,585 posts)I can't understand what the hell this is,all about. Was it virtual or actual? The world is getting away from me. How about taking off the dang eyeware? Dumb!
WhiskeyGrinder
(26,503 posts)moves in real life.
snowybirdie
(6,585 posts)So what's the problem. Stop the damn game. what the hell??????
WhiskeyGrinder
(26,503 posts)The problem is that these games are really immersive -- the fun of them is that you feel like you're in the game. This girl's avatar was attacked by multiple other avatars, meaning she was aware that other people were forcing her to view violent content containing a proxy of her, which would be psychologically and emotionally distressing, no matter how quickly you take the helmet off.
The Contrarian
(87 posts)So whats the crime? And if found guilty, what should the punishment be?
WhiskeyGrinder
(26,503 posts)charge has been made. People could investigate an incident like this and see if there are parallels with online threats, personal threats over email or the telephone, threats in person, harassment, etc. I don't know the laws around those offenses in England so I don't know what the outcome might be here. It's certainly raising questions about whether it should be a crime, and if so, what kind.
limbicnuminousity
(1,414 posts)Wiser minds will have to suss that out. It should be a violation of terms of service and should result in the closure of the gaming account and/or blocking of the IP address. Most modern gaming environments have clauses which prohibit hate speech and other forms of misogyny or blatant bigotry. Meta could step in and do something responsible.
The end-user is also responsible. The parents could step in and block access to Meta and thereby resolve the immediate issue. There still remains a question as to whether there is a societal duty to criminalize the behavior.
Some of the less well-moderated gaming environments are breeding grounds for incels and neo-nazi wannabes. Misogyny in online gaming is a very real issue.
edisdead
(3,396 posts)jimfields33
(19,382 posts)old to play. 16 year olds have no business being on this type of platform.
XanaDUer2
(15,769 posts)
NickB79
(20,265 posts)I'm only 44, but some days I feel like I'm 100 🤷
no_hypocrisy
(54,436 posts)MyNameIsJonas
(744 posts)WhiskeyGrinder
(26,503 posts)MyNameIsJonas
(744 posts)That seems to be the question here. If they put in the terms and services agreement that you can simulate sexual activity, even forcibly, like you can murder someone in another online game, you're saying then it wouldn't be rape? Okay. Then it's not rape. No one was raped.
WhiskeyGrinder
(26,503 posts)are thinking the actual question is "is this rape as I understand it in the criminal code" when the actual issue is how easy it is still is, decades after we've known it was a problem, to provide technology to people without any meaningful trust and safety teams, putting already vulnerable people at risk.
snowybirdie
(6,585 posts)a gamer could take off the headset and go for a walk to clear their head? Get in touch with the real world.
WhiskeyGrinder
(26,503 posts)
NoRethugFriends
(3,653 posts)honest.abe
(9,238 posts)Seems bizzare that would be a feature of the system.
edisdead
(3,396 posts)It could be considered under all sorts of laws already on the books including exposing sexual content to a minor, harassment, and otjers.
Rape by proxy?
TheKentuckian
(26,314 posts)rather than expanding the definition.
Are there not enough obstacles to taking rape seriously without injecting virtual into it.
No, they will need to take screenshots, hit menu, and drop and then put in a harassment complaint.
Silent3
(15,909 posts)...where people want to say, "Rape is rape!" and abolish all distinctions between all types of unwanted sexual interaction... I was about to say "unwanted sexual contact", but when you start considering meta-universe rape, even "contact" goes out the window.
However well-intended this is, I think it's a mistake. Severity of physical assault should matter. Force and coercion should matter. I think how much room there is for misunderstanding and miscommunication should matter.
"Rape is rape" is too simplistic. Hell, we have first, second, and third degree murder, manslaughter, negligent homicide, etc. I don't think it should be so unspeakable to talk about rape having varying levels of severity too. Some unwanted sexual interaction (purely verbal) should be considered harassment, outside of the category of rape altogether.
On such a scale, I'd say meta-universe rape should rate pretty low, only considered more severe where its an adult knowingly assaulting a minor.
LearnedHand
(5,255 posts)edisdead
(3,396 posts)This is NOT rape.
depending on the parameters of the game and what the content the user agreed to be exposed to, there are all sorts of harassment and exposure laws that could be sought.
Online sexism, bullying, and harassment is not a new thing in video game culture but to call this rape must beyond insulting to actual rape victims.
Sympthsical
(10,876 posts)I get the headline needs to make it punchier, "Dark New Future!" but sexual assault in virtual worlds and games has existed as long as the Internet has existed.
I remember way back in the 90s playing various games as a kid/teen where, if a player killed you, they mimicked sexually assaulting your corpse in a variety of creative and sometimes graphic ways. And these games weren't predicated on avatars being able to perform those kinds of acts. Where there's a shitty will, an asshole will find a way.
You can find all sorts of incredibly offensive things that would be criminal IRL done in game when it comes to sexual content. It's a running joke in World of Warcraft that you do not go near Goldshire Inn on a role-playing server unless you want to see some shit. I remember playing old school Counter-Strike matches where people figured out how to spray paint graphic porn on the walls of the arenas.
Generally speaking, it's up to the gaming company's content moderation to deal with the issues. Whether or not they do wildly varies. Nowadays, most companies will hand out suspensions or bans for abusive behavior, be that sexist/sexual, bigoted/racist, or bullying/harassment.
But is it actual criminal rape? No. Let's not be any more dystopian than we need to be. Find the aggressors, ban them from the service. That's what pretty much every online service does.
Of course, the article highlights another problem.
Yeah. Kids shouldn't be on this shit. Where are the parents? The Internet doesn't have guard rails, which is why parents need to keep a sharp eye out, because the place is full of predators. I wouldn't let a kid within a country mile of a metaverse.
Jedi Guy
(3,428 posts)You're right, the internet is full of assholes. Johnathan Gabriel's Greater Internet Fuckwad Theory was true when it was first posited twenty years ago and it's even more true now. Immersive VR just lets assholes be assholes in ever more immersive and realistic ways. The net is by no means the Wild West it once was and the bad elements have, for the most part, retreated to the Dark Web. But if you go for a spin down the old information superhighway, you're going to see some shit sooner or later.
Parents most definitely need to be aware of what their kids are doing and who they're doing it with, at least as much as they can. They can't possibly know every random yobbo their kid is playing Call of Duty with, and with people having friends lists in the thousands I don't see how they can realistically oversee that without turning their kids' lives into a digitally-enforced police state.
All the same, parents do have an obligation to talk to their kids, be aware of what's going on in their lives (digital and meatspace), and be willing to set and enforce healthy boundaries. That latter bit especially makes people leery since being your kid's friend is seemingly a lot more popular than being their parent these days, but it's right there on the tin where it says "parenting" not "friending." Parents who blithely assume their kids will be safe on the net are not living in the real (digital) world.
As for this specific incident, unless the law is written to include simulated, virtual sexual assault, I doubt there's much law enforcement can do, so it'd be down to Meta to police the space and ban the shitbirds. I'm sure they'll get right on that.
Xolodno
(7,317 posts)But cyber sex was easy to accomplish in EQ2, would occasionally see the screen shots. Never engaged in it because I assumed most of the females may actually be males. Someone I know created a female avatar instead of female, why? "If I'm going stare at an ass for several hours..."
edisdead
(3,396 posts)But there are some guard rails out there.
They will never catch everything. My kid plays gorilla tag on the occulus. I have to listen in and check up on him every now and again. But for other stuff I use the bark app for protecting him and his devices. It is pretty good but cannot catch everything. But that’s why it is a guard rail and not bubble wrap. These kids are growing up in a time where tech (and specifically this tech) is going to feed into their future. Keeping them from it during their teen years is a massive disservice to them. But like you say there is a lot of shit out there and there needs to be attention paid to it.
But politically how does that happen? Republicans on some states passed bills that require porn sites to verify peoples age. They wanted people to submit their drivers license online but there is a privacy concern there (for good reason). So how do we go about that? Or if this game was an adult content game and a minor checked into it and was exposed to sexual content, then what? Who all is to blame? The game manufacturers? The participants in the behavior? The minor? The minor’s parents?
There is a lot of law that is lacking because we do not have people in government that are up to the task if understanding the concepts and issues at play.
And yes as a longtime WoW player I know about goldshire, and all the other activities in game. I used to run a 300 person guild and some of the things that were going on in our teamspeak server were crazy!
robbob
(3,741 posts)How, exactly, do they know this act was done by adults? Because the avatars were adult men? That’s stupid; this whole things sounds way more like something a bunch of horny 14 year olds would do “for fun”. The VR aspect of this definitely raises the ante of how disturbing a person would experience it, but in the end it’s probably stupid kids finding a way to turn a game into a gross expression of their unhealthy feelings about sex.
Takket
(23,509 posts)It gives no information on why this is being investigated as a rape. With no context of the environment the reported victim was in or why they believe this was a rape, how are we to build an informed opinion as to whether this is a cause for concern?
How was the victim "raped" in a virtual environmental with the article says includes a personal boundary?
What does this environment and the people in it look like? Were the perpetrators using cameras to "expose" themselves? Or are there "virtual" genitals? Did they use their avatars to simulate some sort of sex act upon her? We're they able to verbally abuse the victim through microphones?
What options were available to the victim? Could they have "blocked" the attackers so they cannot see them? Could they have reported them to admins?
In a real life situation it is pretty much sufficient to say a victim was "assaulted" because everyone knows what they means. But with no concept of what this game looks like, or what happened, how can one draw any kind of opinion of this novel subject? Why should we believe Meta has done anything wrong as a company when we have no idea what these claims are based on?
And I say that as a person that has NOTHING to do with any Meta product, and doesn't want to. The idea that Meta "isn't doing enough" is totally believable to me. But this article reads more like a blog post from an angry mom of a victimized child than something written by a journalist. No useful information, no context, no pictures of what the environment looks like, no comments from the family, no comments from the police. One comment from Meta.
WhiskeyGrinder
(26,503 posts)edisdead
(3,396 posts)
Mossfern
(4,636 posts)I think books are great.
OAITW r.2.0
(31,625 posts)Check with your government approved book censor if you live in a Red State..
edisdead
(3,396 posts)harumph
(3,115 posts)This is so preposterous.
NoRethugFriends
(3,653 posts)edisdead
(3,396 posts)I am not sure this story sets the parameters of the app.
For example there are tons of porn games out there. There are tons of games that have sexual content.
There just isn’t enough information about this, but even still to call it rape, when one could take the headset off is a bit much for me. Actual rape victims can’t just turn off the game. It may be harassment and it may be all sorts of things but I cannot see rape being defined here.
However, we just saw the orange blob get off on rape accusation because his genitals didn’t penetrate. So lord knows what the fuck the actual definition of rape is these days.
XanaDUer2
(15,769 posts)limbicnuminousity
(1,414 posts)If your character is killed, do you sue for murder? What utter BS.
Unless explicitly stated, online games do NOT list "avatar rape" as a game feature or goal. In many games the players expect to have their character "die" as part of the game experience. Player versus player is a mode around which entire games are built, games in which players intentionally try to "kill" other players. You expect to "die." You do NOT expect some random schlubs to traumatize you by symbolically raping your avatar. And, yes, of course the player can always choose not to play.
Just like a woman can choose to not walk past a construction site because she might receive "cat-calls." It's her fault, right? That seems to be the implication based on some responses.
Trivializing/normalizing/minimizing "rapey" behavior is a pretty f-ing stupid and insensitive thing to do.
Swede
(38,505 posts)nt
ripcord
(5,553 posts)Unlike physical rape she had that ability.
WhiskeyGrinder
(26,503 posts)robbob
(3,741 posts)I mean, yes; a person being raped generally, if not in fact always, is unable to get away from the rapist. Whether it’s a violent situation or one where an acquaintance is forcing themselves on you in a coercive way it’s pretty clear that if the person could flip a switch and walk away they would.
Now, that’s not “why it happened”; it happened because a violent pig decided they have the right to abuse a fellow human for their own sick gratification.
Swede
(38,505 posts)Identify with them. So she stays to save "herself." You don't have to understand that, but you have to understand it.
EX500rider
(12,221 posts)Swede
(38,505 posts)“This child experienced psychological trauma similar to that of someone who has been physically raped. There is an emotional and psychological impact on the victim that is longer term than any physical injuries,” a senior officer familiar with the case was quoted as saying by the news outlet. “It poses a number of challenges for law enforcement given current legislation is not set up for this.”
“But as I was asking them to ‘stop’, ‘go away’, I realised I needed to end this as their verbal harassment and sexual innuendos were getting increasingly aggressive,” she told the publication.
She pulled off the virtual reality headset but said she could still hear her attackers laughing and voices coming through saying, “Don’t pretend you don’t like it.”
https://www.firstpost.com/explainers/now-a-gang-rape-in-metaverse-how-sexual-predators-roam-free-in-the-virtual-world-13570602.html
WhiskeyGrinder
(26,503 posts)limbicnuminousity
(1,414 posts)n/t
edisdead
(3,396 posts)But rape is a thing. A very real thing. To call it rape to me is somewhat insane.
ecstatic
(35,013 posts)the logistics of a VR rape? Does the game coding allow for that (blocking an avatar in / preventing an avatar from moving and then a humping action?)???
WhiskeyGrinder
(26,503 posts)envision their avatars doing to something else. It's like playing a video game together with an audio connection and having several adult men telling a young teen what they would like to do to her. No matter if she "hangs up," she still has to register that she was playing a game with people she may have trusted who suddenly decided to treat her like shit.
LiberalFighter
(53,544 posts)It might be compared to the old days maybe still now of men calling women and harrassing them.
edisdead
(3,396 posts)Rape? No! Harassment (and potentially other things)? Yes!
TexasDem69
(2,317 posts)Monty Python?
Swede
(38,505 posts)nt
TexasDem69
(2,317 posts)Cause this is ridiculous.
Swede
(38,505 posts)She felt attacked, end of story.
TexasDem69
(2,317 posts)Sad that someone was mean to her online but the idea that the police should get involved is beyond stupid. So far the most ridiculous story of 2024.
Swede
(38,505 posts)TexasDem69
(2,317 posts)This remains the dumbest story so far in 2024. This is ridiculous, a non-story, and simply unbelievable that someone is pressing this issue.
Swede
(38,505 posts)Your compassion is cool.
TexasDem69
(2,317 posts)And it’s truly sad that people suck so much. But the concept that the avatar was “raped” is stupid. I’m sorry that the individual had to go through this bullying but just stop with involving the police. Hit the power button, turn off the game, take a walk and get some fresh air.
Swede
(38,505 posts)Got it.
TexasDem69
(2,317 posts)Really isn’t real. You get that, right? And the individual could have literally just turned off the game. You get that too, right? People are awful, but you do understand that video games aren’t real?
The story is so dumb that I can’t believe we’re even arguing about this.
Swede
(38,505 posts)Her distress is real. And the trolls and bullies will circle looking for these defenseless teens.
NoRethugFriends
(3,653 posts)The Contrarian
(87 posts)If police were to find the individuals responsible, what do you think the charges should be? And what should the punishment be?
edisdead
(3,396 posts)But rape is not virtual.
Rape has a definition and calling something outside of that definition rape is a very dangerous thing.
TheKentuckian
(26,314 posts)self reliance, mental resilience, perseverance over adversity, and will to fight and keep fighting until you win
If I could have logged off to evade bullying I would have bypass a lot of hurt, beatings, and trouble over years.
These kids have no concept of what it means to face those that mean them real harm or not having anywhere or anyone to run to, rendering them as soft as baby poop mentally and emotionally.
This is a disservice not a favor.
Swede
(38,505 posts)Oh well.
NoRethugFriends
(3,653 posts)edisdead
(3,396 posts)So it is relevant.
limbicnuminousity
(1,414 posts)Taken from https://www.firstpost.com/explainers/now-a-gang-rape-in-metaverse-how-sexual-predators-roam-free-in-the-virtual-world-13570602.html
"In February 2022, London-based Nina Jane Patel spoke about how a gang of three to four avatars sexually harassed her within 60 seconds of joining Meta’s metaverse platform Horizon Venues. “They essentially, but virtually, gang-raped my avatar and took photos as I tried to get away,” Patel, co-founder and vice-president of metaverse research Kabuni Ventures, wrote in a post on Medium.com.
“My physiological and psychological response was as though it happened in reality,” she recalled.
Patel told CNBC-TV18 in an interview that she froze during the attack. She fumbled with the controllers while trying to use the safety features, which allow users to block and report. “But as I was asking them to ‘stop’, ‘go away’, I realised I needed to end this as their verbal harassment and sexual innuendos were getting increasingly aggressive,” she told the publication.
She pulled off the virtual reality headset but said she could still hear her attackers laughing and voices coming through saying, “Don’t pretend you don’t like it.”
LiberalFighter
(53,544 posts)edisdead
(3,396 posts)I wonder how many rape victims would have preferred to take off a headset to stop being penetrated.
This is ridiculous.
Is it disgusting behavior? Yes. It sure as shit is. But calling it rape is just insane.
NickB79
(20,265 posts)When I was big into that 10+ yr ago.
WhiskeyGrinder
(26,503 posts)NickB79
(20,265 posts)YouTube is filled with videos of angry teens throwing their Xbox controllers after getting killed and teabagged.
https://steamcommunity.com/app/976730/discussions/0/5805689546863867152/?l=ukrainian&ctp=2
LiberalFighter
(53,544 posts)WhiskeyGrinder
(26,503 posts)edisdead
(3,396 posts)Rape? Nope.
Because someone FEELS as though they were raped doesn’t mean they WERE raped.
Bettie
(19,336 posts)rape an allowable thing in this game? Seems like there should be some limits on that kind of thing.
edisdead
(3,396 posts)Unless ones appendages can reach through the headset and physically violate someone it doesn’t.
LearnedHand
(5,255 posts)sexually assaulting, and exposing girls to pornography online. Why is it different because this happened in virtual reality? Differences in the intensity of the victim’s experience of the assault because of the technology are irrelevant to the question of legality. I don’t understand why the cops are even questioning this. Oh wait. It’s yet one more excuse for the cops to blame the victim.
edisdead
(3,396 posts)They are also not rape.
If those things occurred then yes they should feel the consequences of THOSE actions. But to call it rape (basically out of emotion) is incorrect.
There are laws for a reasons and for them to mean anything the actions have to measure up to what those laws mean. We can’t just call something rape because the actions were disgusting. There are standards of laws that have to be met.
Harassment? Likely.
LearnedHand
(5,255 posts)
Patton French
(1,823 posts)
Ferrets are Cool
(22,545 posts) limbicnuminousity
(1,414 posts)Mineral Man makes a good point in his post stating that "a different word is needed."
If you mean "how do you define a 'virtual rape'," I'd suggest it comes down to consent. The young woman in this story said "please stop." The people harassing her continued to sexualize and demean her. No means no even in the virtual realm.
If you mean "how do we catch the culprits," game servers maintain chat logs and can track IPs. Video and audio recording options are available. That places a burden of proof on the victim or the victim's family, but I don't see a way around it.
I think parts of society operate under an assumption of implied consent. Some men (and some women) believe that sexual advances or the sexualization of non-sexual situations is acceptable until or unless consent is denied. Trump's infamous "grab 'em by the ..." comment is an example of that mindset expressed in the physical world.
That is the issue. When you allow people to behave this way in games or in public you run the risk of producing the next Trump.
Ferrets are Cool
(22,545 posts)Trust me, I believe that this could happen in a game. I am wondering how she would prove it happened unless she was recording the game at the time.
limbicnuminousity
(1,414 posts)I don't think "virtual rape" will ever make it into the law books. It's too difficult to define and the concept of virtual rape subtly undermines the efforts of (mostly) women bringing charges against physical rape. A charge of harassment might more easily be brought to court because it's easier to understand as an unwanted assault.
The proof can only be provided through chat logs and screenshots or video/audio recordings unless a participant willingly discloses their participation. This proof would be more convincing if there is a recorded history of harassment that discloses a pattern of behavior.
The practical solution, as my daughter just reminded me, is to not play online multiplayer games. That is practical. I personally believe we do a disservice to our children by encouraging them to restrict their activities simply because unkind people like traumatizing children. In short, it's more of a societal problem and than a legal one.
Ferrets are Cool
(22,545 posts)
edisdead
(3,396 posts)But it is not rape.
Calling it something that it very clearly isn’t, does not help. At all.
If one did the things in the real world that they did in the virtual one you could ‘t possibly call it rape. So how in the world are you going to convict someone of rape?
It is harassment. And possibly other crimes as well. Call it what it is.
LearnedHand
(5,255 posts)I hope we don’t keep excoriating the victim because she used the “wrong” words.
MineralMan
(150,710 posts)So, some other word needs to be used in cases like this.
Iggo
(49,697 posts)No rape occurred. But the harassment is real.
XanaDUer2
(15,769 posts)The avatars held her avatar down and humped her avatar? Programming allows this!?
Sounds horrible. As someone upthread stated, I love books!
coffeenap
(3,293 posts)People immerse themselves in these worlds. People live a good portion of their lives in these created universes. They make real friends there. They feel safe there. They get relief from tough reality there. It is not new. We olds (or intellectuals) might not understand why, we might even click our disapproving tongues, but it is true for millions. So, for people on DU, DU, ffs! to suggest just turn it off, or virtually walk away from an emotionally devastating event , is one of the coldest things I have seen on this empathy-filled site, and I have been here a very long time.
berniesandersmittens
(13,103 posts)Last edited Sat Jan 6, 2024, 02:17 PM - Edit history (1)
Edit to add my perspective:
Whatever definition we use, this child was traumatized by the event.
The terror of being in a realistic feeling attack should not be dismissed.
Was it a physical rape on her body? I don't believe so myself, but dismissing her trauma is just sad.
We can debate the definition of rape in so many situations. As virtual reality becomes more immersive and technology advances, we really need to explore safety.
edisdead
(3,396 posts)I think that the walk away or turn it off expression is in regards to whether or not it is actual rape. How many rape victims wish that they could have just turned it off or walked away and be left with it being harassment and not actual rape? I would bet 100%
It is likely harassment, for sure. And likely other crimes. But you can’t just start using words that do not fit. Words have meanings. Laws have meanings.
Voltaire2
(15,377 posts)There might be a civil case for the incident, but there is clearly no legal case for rape here.
XanaDUer2
(15,769 posts)There are virtual prisons? I'm learning about a whole new world
yagotme
(4,129 posts)XanaDUer2
(15,769 posts)I know nothing about this stuff. I hope the ppl behind the avatars are held accountable for this
yagotme
(4,129 posts)edisdead
(3,396 posts)From https://www.justice.gov/archives/opa/blog/updated-definition-rape
At least that is the legal definition in the U.S.
I believe some crimes may have been committed here. But it clearly isn’t rape by definition in the U.S.
Prairie Gates
(7,325 posts)and who take things entirely too personally even there comment on this story:
LearnedHand
(5,255 posts)And so should law enforcement. If they’re all grownups, they’d stop focusing on the word itself and start focusing on what the girl experienced. And use the laws that already protect young people online.
One OMG the headline writers have GOT to stop sowing chaos and confusion. Someone should be fired for that one.
Zeitghost
(4,557 posts)Not sexual assault. Both are deplorable, but it's important to maintain a difference in the terms.
limbicnuminousity
(1,414 posts)The phrase "virtual rape" seems to bother some people while it offends others. It's obvious from the article, however poorly written, that nobody knows what to call it or what to do about it.
The author states: "The question of whether virtual rape is 'really rape'" The police described in the article state: "There is an emotional and psychological impact on the victim that is longer-term than any physical injuries." The psychotherapist in the article states: "Unlike in the physical world, there’s a lack of clear and enforceable rules in the metaverse." "Harassment," "assault," and "verbal abuse" all strike me as applicable descriptors depending on the specific circumstances.
I'm curious though. What line has to be crossed before society is obligated to step in and do something? Would anyone be okay with a group of teenaged boys calling their daughter a "whore" day in and day out every day at school? What if that harassment persisted through social media accounts due to doxxing and your child was being verbally assaulted every evening? What if they started scheduling regular times to verbally and/or physically taunt or threaten your child?
This is a personal question for me. Neo-nazis tried indoctrinating my kid a few years back and they did it online. From what I was able to discern, they like online gaming (as well as political forums). I resolved the situation but that resolution came at a deep and personal cost.
Casually dismissing the challenges of a virtual realm ignores the fact that a digital presence is required to live today. Email addresses and social media profiles are required in some schools and many jobs. Social media accounts are required if you want to network and advance in most fields requiring a college degree. Video conferencing is an increasingly common expectation in medicine or at work.
Protecting your own child is good and necessary but leaves a lot of people to fall through the cracks. The people who fall through the cracks become damaged. When they become badly enough damaged, they either need substantial investment in mental healthcare or they run the risk of becoming radicalized. Neither option benefits society.