Inaugural Symposium to be Held on the Dangers, Benefits Technology Poses to Victims of Domestic Violence
LONG BEACH, Calif. (Oct. 9, 2018) –In an effort to keep students, faculty and staff safe and informed, a four-hour symposium on technology and domestic violence will be held on the campus of Long Beach State University later this month.
The “Behind the Screens” symposium is the first of its kind for the campus and will include expert panels that will comment on how emerging technologies are being used to further abuse. Attendees will also hear from survivors and participate in a design sprint to brainstorm solutions to the issue of domestic violence and technology.
Many forms of domestic violence through technology are common, like strings of text messages back-to-back or what is known as “coercive texting” when someone is with a family members or at work but feels forced to respond, said Long Beach State University communications expert Ebony Utley. Similarly, leaving someone’s text messages unread can be a form of manipulation.
A new form of domestic violence is emerging with the Internet of Things in which an abuser with the passwords to smart devices in a home can turn the temperature up, turn lights on in the middle of the night or blast music to gaslight an intended target. These forms of domestic violence do not yet have precedent in the court system and laws protecting victims from these forms of abuse have not been established, Utley said.
“The courts haven’t caught up with these new forms of technology,” Utley said.
In other ways, technology can foster healthier forms of communication and connection, according to Utley. Platforms like Circle of 6 allow for instant connection and location sharing when a user feels unsafe. Other platforms provide a space where parents in contentious custody battles can communicate, and the court instantly receives all text messages exchanged between feuding parents or romantic partners.
“Abusers like to isolate,” Utley said. “Social media allows for connection.”
Attendees at the symposium will hear testimony from survivors of domestic violence through technology. Should any attendees feel uncomfortable or revisit their own traumas, counselors will be present at the event as will the campus’ sexual assault advocate.
Media interested in attending the event is respectfully asked not to film or photograph audience members.
The free event on Oct. 17 will be held from 4 to 8 p.m. at the Karl Anatol Center and is sponsored by the CSULB Institute for Innovation & Entrepreneurship, The Center for First Amendment Studies and Not Alone @ The Beach among other campus groups. It is open to community members over the age of 14. Those interested in attending can register online. A light dinner will be provided.
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About the campus:
Long Beach State University is a teaching-intensive, research-driven university committed to providing highly valued undergraduate and graduate degrees critical for success in the globally minded 21st century. Annually ranked among the best universities in the West and among the best values in the entire nation, the university’s eight colleges serve more than 37,500 students. The campus values and is recognized for rich educational opportunities provided by excellent faculty and staff, exceptional degree programs, diversity of its student body, fiduciary and administrative responsibility and the positive contributions faculty, staff, students and more than 300,000 alumni make on society.
