#NotOkay: Stories of sexual assault in the midst of the 2016 U.S. presidential election

Abstract

Sexual assault affects hundreds of thousands of Americans each year. Social media platforms such as Twitter allow users to anonymously share 140-character messages that serve to convey information and foster a supportive community. Following the release of a 2005 video that captured then Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump bragging in vulgar terms about kissing, groping, and trying to have sex with women, women took to Twitter to share their personal stories of sexual assault using the hashtag #NotOkay. The present study examines 1,091 tweets from women who shared their lived experiences with sexual assault. Findings revealed four themes: characteristics of sexual assault, relationship to perpetrator, public vs. private locations, and action and consequence. The results highlight Twitter as a venue for women to share their lived experiences with sexual assault.