The use of Telegram for the non-consensual dissemination of intimate images: gendered affordances and the construction of masculinities

This paper aims to analyze what is the role of Telegram affordances in orienting, amplifying and normalizing the non-consensual diffusion of intimate images (NCII). We focus on the sense of anonymity, the platform’s weak regulation and the possibility to create big male communities, arguing that these affordances are ‘gendered affordances’ (Schwartz Neff, 2019), as they orient male participants’ harassing behaviours and, in concert with an established misogynist culture, contribute to the reinstatement of hegemonic masculinity (Connel, 2005). The research draws on data collected through an online covert ethnography of Italian Telegram channels and groups.