INTRODUCTION:

Despite growing voices for gender equality there persists gender inequalities in many areas of life manifested through gender stereotypes and gendered constructions of both male and female. In all, these gendered social structures restrict the ability to participate fully be it male or female. A one whole day examine of forwards on FB, WA and other social media platforms made it very clear and pronounced that how many of these messages are exchanged daily basis.

One does come across an array of such words camouflaged as jokes. And for which, your friends, colleagues or family members will attach a variety of amusing emoji’s available. On a close reading, one will realize that these messages are anything but funny. Most of them will be downgrading men or mostly women. Many times one tends to ask why do we do so? Why exhibit such behaviors? The answer to this seemingly simple question may not be simple and neither objective. The reasons can be many and are very subjective to the person. It could be pure humor, or with dark intentions, regardless, it is social media, and it is a platform for freedom of expression that has opened new possibilities of gender constructions. The ingraining of already existing and also constructing new social, gendered roles through the internet and more so social media seem less. So much so that people think they are behaving in a right manner. They don't even know what they are saying is derogatory.

There are no particular reasons for trolling of men or women on social media. As Pranav Dixit in his article quotes “Bawdy jokes, GIFs and videos featuring women in various states of nakedness are the glue that binds everyone together.” Which means for many it provided an essential platform for bonding. In another research study by Demos, a social think tank suggests that misogynistic posts are trolled to spit out anger on whom they are following or against a rival group. Today, India’s social media is regarded as a key influencer not only in business and politics but general society per se. In India, there were 432 million internet users in December 2016, as per the Internet and Mobile Association of India (IMRB) report. As per Jaydip Parikh, CEO of TEjSolPro, 120 million of all Indian Internet users are college students. In this, women constitute around 30 percent of the active social media users. Women represent just 24 percent Facebook users continues to exhibit a considerable gender gap within as per Saurav Sen. A recent study by CSDS shows that Young India is homophobic, misogynist and orthodox. Social media is a wonderful advancement in our technology. If this is true, then as a society we are heading backward where our dividends will turn into out liabilities. It is clear in this digital world that Internet has created new opportunities and has created platforms for various social discussions, debates, and interactions. Not to forget, it has also constructed new combat zone for exhibiting worst human behavior, a platform for varied expressions. Stupid or intellectual, people have found different ways to grow with the help of social media. In this wake, the researchers wanted to study the readings of social media messages and their readings and understandings by the youth. Whether, the youth on whom the entire nation looks up to, are they sensitized towards burning issues, do they take responsibility in raising voice against derogatory messages and other such related issues are the concerns of this research.

LITERATURE REVIEW AND OBJECTIVES:

Today, one finds varied texts, survey and researches on social media uses and its effects. One such study states that, youths and adolescents are at some risk as they navigate and experiment with social media because of their limited capacity for self-regulation and susceptibility to peer pressure. There are frequent online expressions of offline behaviors, as clique-forming, bullying, and sexual experimentation (Lenheart A., 2009). Since the inception of the internet, the anonymous nature of it has only encouraged sexual exploitation and humiliation says Prashanthi Arora. This anonymity in nature in a way gave more freedom of expression. When these messages are circulated in huge numbers among youngsters in a space which no more is devoid of our physical spaces, one needs to be more careful in educating the youth. As Nisha Susan, cofounder and editor of The Ladies Finger, an online feminist magazine, thinks, “WhatsApp isn’t a place that’s divorced from real life,”, which means social media have become as real as we breathe. This takes the matter to another level, where as Paromita Vohra, a writer and filmmaker who runs Agents of Ishq, a platform that encourages Indians to talk openly about sex – something that is culturally brushed under the carpet – calls the ribald conversations in all-male WhatsApp groups a “performance of masculinity”. She likens the men in these groups to a bunch of bros standing at a bar and trying to fit into mainstream ideas of heteronormative maleness. In a way, the ideas are been normalized and given social acceptance. The normalization happens so much that even President of America makes such misogynistic comments, which takes whole world into flurry and gets away.

Though the scope of present could vary from Social-Psychology to Information Science studies, it has been restricted to study few specific objectives. This would help in attaining the research goals rather horizontal investigation of shallow analysis. The following are the three specific research objectives,

· To find out whether youngsters experience gender trolling on social network

· To understand whether messages/forwards stereotype a particular gender

· To analyze the intention behind such negative trolls

The study broadly also tries to understand usage of different social networking sites used by youngsters.

METHODOLOGY:

The paper adopts qualitative non – probability research method for sampling. A primary online survey was been carried out among 300 youths in Bengaluru Urban between age group of 20 -25. But majority are not from Bengaluru or of Karnataka origin. The respondents cover almost all the states of India, including few NRI’s. An online form was generated and responses were asked on questions relating to the topic of the survey. The questionnaire was divided into 3 parts, first general SDE data, second section dealt with usage of social networks and third with more specific to the objectives of the study. Although, 300 questionnaires were mailed many were not sent back. The final number of sample stood at 221 who have responded and answered for all the questions. Rest 79 respondents are not considered due inconsistency in their responses. The analysis involves both descriptive as well cross tabulation (using Microsoft Excel).

Analysis:

TABLE 1: Gender of Respondents

Gender	Count
Female	145
Male	76
Total	221

The above table shows that among the total respondents male dominated with 145 and female with 76 responses. 221 respondents participated in the survey but some of them have not answered for all the questions. This has been done to eliminate any statistical error in few questions.

Table 2: Educational qualification

Education	Count
Graduation	200
Post-Graduation	18
Diploma	1
Other	2

The table although is not much informative, it conceals the point that all our respondents are aged between 20 – 25 years as majority of them are in graduation.

Graph 1: Time Spent on Internet

It can be inferred from the above table that, majority spends more than 4 hours on various platforms on internet; this is followed by 3 hours, 2 hours and 1 hour. 20 respondents spend more than 5 hours on internet which is 1/4^th of a day. Only 3 respondents spend less than 1 hour. Which is very less when compared to the total respondents. If we have to go by Berger and Luckmann "social construction", “people and groups interacting in a social system create, over time, concepts or mental representations of each others' actions, and that these concepts eventually become habituated into reciprocal roles played by the actors in relation to each other. When these roles are made available to other members of society to enter into and play out, the reciprocal interactions are said to be institutionalized. In the process, meaning is embedded in society. Knowledge and people's conceptions (and beliefs) of what reality is become embedded in the institutional fabric of society. Reality is therefore said to be socially constructed.” Applying the same, when someone spends so much time on internet, the world created and made to believe is accepted and ideas are institutionalized.

Table 3: Social networking sites used (cross tab)

Social networking sites used	Facebook	Instagram	Tumblr	other
facebook	152	136	22	64
Instagram	136	183	20	70
Tumblr	18	20	22	94
other	64	70	94	94

It can be said from the above table that, younger generation uses many of social networking sites simultaneously. Which means, a single person is active in more than one social networking platform where, Instagram seems more popular followed by facebook and Tumblr. The growing popularity of Instagram shows that, a pic and couple of hastags serving the purpose is more fashionable and acceptable. Out of 183 Instagram users, 136 of them are using facebook as well 90 (Tumbr+other) using other platforms. 152 facebook users are also part of Instagram (136). There are at least, 42 percent of them who are using other social media platforms other than facebook, Instagram and Tumblr.

Experience of Gender trolling over social media networks:

Graph 2: How often have you come across any message/posts derogating women?

As one of the respondents said, the platforms try to provide gender equality, but social network runs on its users, so as the society is not yet accustomed to gender equality, the social network is not either. Which means, 85 respondents do recognize that, messages derogating women are posted often on social media platforms. This is followed by 72 of responses who feel that, only once a while they come across such posts. It is stirring to see that. 6, 3 and 18 respondents feel that they can’t say (total 27), don’t know or have seen these kind of message very rarely. As Noam Chomsky says these texts are in a way manufacturing consent where media in his usage and we take it as social medias "are effective and powerful ideological institutions that carry out a system-supportive propaganda function, by reliance on market forces, internalized assumptions, and self-censorship, and without overt coercion".

Graph 3: Social media promoting gender equality

A majority of respondents feel that social media network only sometimes and to some extent promote gender equality. Where many do feel that it is promoting equality. It is important here to understand that, our understanding of equality may be different than those of respondents and no where the researchers have explained the meaning as that would be very subjective and tampering with the subjects understanding of the same.

The research further tries to understand the intentions of these negative messages. This question forms the core of the paper and hence it is very important that we categorize certain terms and define them as per the survey need.

Reason for such conversations are categorized as follows

1. Not serious:

time pass activity, to seek attention, Not intentionally

2. Moderate but offensive:

To embarrass, expression of sadistic attitude, For Psychological fulfillment

3. Serious and derogatory:

sexual harassment, To take revenge, To teach a lesson

4. Can’t say:

Those could not take a call on whether such comments are seriously offensive or not (can’t say, don’t know, had no such experience

Table 4: What would be intention of negative messages? (cross tab)

Intention category	Not serious	Moderate	Serious	Can't say
Not serious	125	75	43	22
Moderate	75	130	30	21
Serious	43	30	61	16
Can't Say	22	21	16	58

130 (59%) respondents opined that, they have felt moderate intention in the social media conversations. i.e., to embarrass, expression of sadistic attitude, For Psychological fulfillment were the intention of such conversations. 125(57%) respondents have felt that it was not serious i.e., social media messages are mostly for Time pass activity, to seek attention, Not intentionally done. But there, are 61(28%) respondents who have felt that such conversation were serious which means intention of misogynic conversations is an extension of sexual harassment, to take revenge for certain assumed contempt or to teach a lesson to the victim. Around 58(26%) of them responded that they couldn’t say what the intentions behind such conversations were. The responses of serious and moderate amounts to 191. i.e., 86 percent of respondents have felt the social media conversations related to gender stereotyping are embarrassing, expression of sadistic attitude and does have a sexual exploitation intentions.

Graph 4: Do you think these messages stereotype a gender?

The graph clearly shows that majority agrees and strongly agrees to the fact that, women are being stereotyped in the messages and trolls and yet there is confusion among them in accepting the negativity of the messages as seen in the earlier table. This is also to be seen here that, although majority agree that women are stereotyped yet while answering about the equality majority did answer to some extent and yes. This shows that, the although, they recognize that there is a stereotype representation of a particular gender whether it is good or bad, healthy or not they are not been able to decide on.

Again while analyzing responses to social media trolls it was necessary for the researchers to classify and define the responses type.

Response by the social media users for trolls/ reaction to trolls:

The following categorization has been done in order to combine similar responses.

1. Passive response:

Thought of complaining but not, never shared with anyone, Just kept quite/not responded, Don't know what to do

2. Complaints:

Complained the authority (institution, employer, legal body, police), Reported accounts that are derogatory in nature

3. Blocked/left group:

Blocked the harasser

4. Responded directly:

was bold enough to speak out

5. Shared with others:

Including friends and family members

Out of 221 responses, around 108(49%) people responded directly by sending message or posting in the groups to stop trolling messages where has 112(51%) respondents have blocked the person from being posting and 84(38%) of them were passive also. i.e., those who blocked (112) were passive also (84). Only 16(7%) of them have complained to the authority of admin.

CONCLUSION:

The responses of serious and moderate amounts to (sexual exploitation and sadistic expression) 191. i.e., 86 percent of respondents have felt the social media conversations related to gender stereotyping are embarrassing, expression of sadistic attitude and do have a sexual exploitation intentions. The gender wise segregation of the issue shows that women on a whole (16.6%) feel that the messages are serious in nature. Where, 1.9 % of male feel the same. Even though the male numbers seems very less, one can’t deny that they are also victims of social media’s gender trolling nature. As Pranav Dixit quotes “I think that objectifying a woman’s body, or cracking jokes about it in an environment where you get validation for doing it, makes us feel good about ourselves.” Out of 221 responses, those who blocked (112) were passive also (84). Only 16 (7%) of them have complained to the authority of admin. And rest were not active in taking the action or they didn’t speak out.

The survey also looked into the possible solutions for acting up and against such trolls on social platforms. Majority believed that raising awareness is the best solution which was followed by standing up for one’s right. This is interesting because one will lead to the other. This was followed by making gender a part of the curriculum. This will help students specially the youngsters to think sensibly and accept. This will also help in deconstructing the constructed gender stereotypes In order to change what is online one need to change what is offline. Which means we need to take responsibility, by we, it is parents, teachers, policy makers, educators, should come together in educating and spreading the awareness. There needs to be a change in the education at primary level. Through combined effort we can make the internet an enjoyable and safe place for everyone, and free the next generation of women from misogynistic abuse. To bring about a real change it is important that there are campaigns that spread awareness like #SochKeBol helps in making people understand the intensity to which their comments and remarks can affect the society.

REFERENCES:

1. Chatterjee Sowmya (2017). Young Indians are homophobic, misogynist and orthodox, says, CSDS survey, retrieved http://www.thenewsminute.com/article/young-indians-are-homophobic-misogynist-and-orthodox-says-csds-survey-60003

2. Dixit Pranav (2017).Inside The Testosterone-Soaked Culture of India’s Guys-Only WhatsApp Groups, retrieved from https://www.buzzfeed.com/pranavdixit/inside-the-testosterone-soaked-culture-of-indias-guys-only?utm_term=.cpJGPNWYb3#.obl5VDNoy0

3. Herman and Chomsky (1988). Manufacturing Consent: The Political Economy of the Mass Media , Patheon Books

4. Khurana N (2015). The Impact of Social Networking Sites on the Youth, Journal of Mass Communication Journalism, 5: 285. doi:10.4172/2165-7912.1000285

5. Lenhart A (2010). Teens and Sexting, Washington, DC: Pew Research Center; retrived from,: http://pewinternet.org/Reports/2009/Teens-and-Sexting.aspx.\

6. Sen,Saurav (2017). Misogyny mirrored on the web retrieved, New Indian Express, http://www.newindianexpress.com/opinions/2017/mar/06/misogyny-mirrored-on-the-web-1578036.html

7. Half of misogynistic tweets sent by women, The Guardian, retrieved, https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2016/may/26/half-of-misogynistic-tweets-sent-by-women-study-finds

8. Is Social Media A Misogynistic Battle of The Sexes?, The Hindu http://www.thehindu.com/opinion/open-page/why-the-jokes-really-on-those-misogynists/article19386437.ece

9. Do We Know Enough About Online Misogyny? Retrieved http://gendermatters.in/2016/12/online-misogyny.

Received on 24.10.2017 Modified on 28.11.2017

Res. J. Humanities and Social Sciences. 2018; 9(1): 56-60.

DOI: 10.5958/2321-5828.2018.00010.4

Response	Complaints	Blocked/left group	Passive	Shared with others	responded
Complaints	16	16	6	-	10
Blocked / left group	10	- 112	2	-	2
Passive	-	84	26	-	17
shared	-	84	100	1	46
responded	26	100	108	1	58