Experts studying the sexual harassment of women online have revealed some of the disturbing reasons why men send unsolicited pictures of their genitals.
Commonly known as ‘d*** pics’ or ‘cyberflashing’, the advent of mobile cameras and dating apps means that roughly half of women have received one of these elicit images.
In the vast majority of cases, the picture was not requested by the woman, according to surveys.
Now a report by the Nordic Digital Rights and Equality Foundation (Nordef) has uncovered some of the reasons why — as well as characterisitcs in men that make them more likely to do it.
Nordef chairperson Thordis Elva said a key factor was a number of men, mostly younger groups, are now ‘porn damaged’ with their view of what is acceptable twisted by explicit material online.
‘Men have different reasons for behaving like this, but we have had a shift in norms on the internet.
‘We have a lot of porn and porn damaged men and boys have got a twisted view of how to communicate their sexuality.
In pornography, the sight of men’s genitalia is presented as being welcomed by the woman, leading to the assumption that the same will occur in real life.
Ms Elva’s report also detailed other reasons for cyberflashing — including in the ‘selfish’ hope they’ll get a nude picture back, and to seek compliments.
Commonly known as ‘d*** pics’ or ‘cyberflashing’, the advent of mobile cameras and public social media profiles has given men an easy way to send explicit images to women for their own perverse delight. Stock image
Nordef came to their conclusions by analysing data from the police and courts regarding cyberflashing incidents in Sweden, Denmark and Iceland between 2019 and 2022.
Ms Elva said data showed many cyberflashers would send explicit images to up to 30 women at a time in the hope at least one would provide the reaction they craved in what she called a ‘dehumanisation’ of women as a tool for sexual gratification.
‘It will be like a mass mailing where they don’t care how they are received,’ she said.
‘The men don’t sit and think about the psychological impact it has on the women who receive them.
‘They think purely selfishly that someone might send a picture back, and that it will then be sexy.’
Data also showed many cyberflashers sent images as a ‘test’ to a female friend in order to see if they could become romantic or sexual partners.
The study also found six per cent of men sent such images with the aim of punishing women or asserting their masculinity under the bizarre logic they were lashing out against feminism.
Nordef’s report also revealed information about the type of men who cyberflash.
Earlier this year Nicholas Hawkes became the first person in England and Wales to be jailed under the new law after sending an explicit image of himself to 15-year-old girl and a another women, being sentenced to over a year in prison
Most, eight out of 10, were men — the majority under 40.
About 52 per cent of images sent to women were from strangers, followed by people they matched with on dating apps at 17 per cent and acquaintances at 15 per cent.
Around seven per cent were sent as part of harassment by a work colleague.
Nordef hope their findings will prompt the creation of preventative measures to stop men committing digital abuse against women.
Cyberflashing became an offence in England and Wales earlier this year with those found guilty facing by up to two years in prison.
It came on the back of 2021 research suggesting 32 per cent of girls aged 12 to 18 had received an unsolicited nude picture from men or boys.
The legislation followed that of Scotland which made cyberflashing a specific offense a decade prior and Northern Ireland at the end of last year.
Earlier this year Nicholas Hawkes became the first person in England and Wales to be jailed under the new law after sending an explicit image of himself to 15-year-old girl and a another women.
Hawkes was sentenced to over a year in prison.
