On October 19, 2024, a woman identified as Jane Doe was drugged and gang-raped for seven hours in a fraternity at Cornell University. Rather than someone stopping the horrific act, a text was sent in a Snapchat group chat with over 50 men stating “free pussy” and “is the shop still open”, suggesting that Jane Doe was available for sex. No one did anything about it; no one stopped it, and not one person called the authorities. What might the repercussions be? If you think they faced jail time or were held accountable by authorities, you are wrong. Two were expelled, and the other five got off with a suspension and a written essay. To this day, these 7 men, including the 50+ men in the group chat, are walking free as Jane Doe suffers the consequences of this trauma. To have the courage to go to the police after her body was taken advantage of, and for the police to do nothing, says a lot about the system we live in today. 1 in 4 women in the UK have been raped or sexually assaulted since the age of 16. 1 in 3 women across the world have experienced sexual or physical abuse in their lifetime. The system continues to protect men’s futures and their potential after committing disgusting, violent acts of sexual assault.
When prosecutors responded to investigations involving this gang rape, the media became a frenzy. TikToks, Instagram posts, and Tweets all stood by Jane Doe, disgusted by how our system has yet to force these men to take accountability for their actions. The media, by far, has blown this case up and forced it into the public eye to capture more attention for the matter, defending Jane Doe and all other women who have been susceptible to acts of sexual violence. The circulation of screenshots, court documents, and articles that are swarming on the internet contributes to bringing attention to the case. Arguably, the media plays a huge role in bringing this investigation back to life as prosecutors are pressured to do something about it. The system fails to protect women who face sexual violence, and with authorities doing little to nothing about it, the media follows with intense outrage across the world and extensive coverage of the story. Protests have been scheduled, comment sections on the official social media pages of Cornell have been bombarded, and school officials have been emailed, called, and confronted. Even celebrities and well-known public figures have spoken out about these vile acts that were committed. The world stands with Jane Doe and other survivors of sexual violence, and if the system isn’t going to do anything about it, people will continue to talk about it and push for justice.
While discussing the benefits of how social media can spread awareness, it is also important to note that social media isn’t always used in positive ways. In this case, snapchat, a popular app of communication, was the main way these men communicated that “the shop is still open”. A group chat thread among the seven men who participated in the act and the whole fraternity was leaked with frat members saying vile things about the situation. This does not promote a positive use of social media but is rather an example of taking advantage of the situation in despicable ways. Recently, there have been men trying to uncover who Jane Doe is and using social media in a negative way to try and expose her. In reaction to this, people have begun to post videos on TikTok to protect her identity titled “I am Jane Doe”. Clearly, she does not want her face and name in the public eye, and while the media is being used in vile ways to expose her identity, it is also being used to protest against this. This serves as an important reminder that social media can be used to advertise negative and horrendous events but also to protest against these selfish acts.
Within the past decade, young activists have grown more prominent in society, speaking out for what’s right since the system fails to serve justice for those who deserve it. Social media continues to assist with this and can serve as a valuable aid in society to voice opinions and concerns. While this can be controversial, as the media can also twist facts, I think that it does have beneficial purposes as well. It serves an importance for authorities to understand that matters like sexual violence are heard and accounted for. Never should a case involving any form of sexual violence or abuse go unheard and ignored. Young generations, especially, continue to use their platforms as a voice for those who have gone unheard. It grows frustrating as the system continues to protect men and their reputation but pushes women to learn how to avoid being in these situations. Shouldn’t boys be taught to never engage in any form of sexual act without consent rather than teaching girls how to avoid it?
