The GIVRE project was presented at the 10th STS Italia Conference – Technoscience for Good, held at the Politecnico di Milano from June 11 to 13, 2025. The contribution, entitled “Digital Gender-Based Violence and the Politics of Platform Intimacies: Resistance, Agency, and Structural Inequalities”, presented by Mariacristina Sciannamblo, together with Chiara Carbone, Francesca Comunello, and Lorenza Parisi, examined the role of digital platforms in both reproducing and countering online gender-based violence. Below is a summary of the contribution.
Based on 50 qualitative interviews, the research shows how experiences of digital violence—ranging from sexist and homophobic hate speech to harassing messages—are closely linked to users’ everyday digital practices and their generational belonging. While algorithmic mechanisms and platform governance logics can reinforce inequalities and discrimination, users also develop strategies of resilience and resistance, making use of the very same platform functionalities to protect themselves and react.
Finally, the paper calls for a critical rethinking of platform design and governance so that digital environments may become safer and more equitable spaces, capable of fostering just and inclusive digital relationships.
