‘It is almost impossible to think of a major political protest or upheaval occurring without social media being a part of both the incident and the ensuing narrative’

INTRODUCTION

In the 21st century world, we live in, there is little that happens without the involvement of social media. Platforms such as Facebook, Instagram and Twitter make it easier than ever to communicate, engage and more significantly; vocalise opinions. Twitter has become the forefront for modern-day opinion expression and in many ways, a courtroom where verdicts are debated. One example of this is the infamous ‘Belfast Rape Trial’ which took place in 2018, tearing the public apart. This case birthed the hashtag I Believe Her (#ibelieveher) which was tweeted over 100,000 times throughout the trial. It also involved a number of WhatsApp messages exchanged between the men in question. In this assignment, I will examine the connection between Twitter and The Belfast Rape Trial in conjunction with the theme of globalisation. In specific, I will analyse the top 100 tweets from the day the verdict of not guilty was announced. 

bACKGROUND

In the summer of 2016, a 19-year old girl, having finished her A-Levels decided to go out in Ollie’s Nightclub in Belfast to celebrate with friends. This same night, a number of members of the Ulster Rugby Team and their friends were out celebrating the end of a successful tour of South Africa with the Ireland team and the start of a month off.  The men in question were

Ulster Rugby Players, Paddy Jackson and Stuart Olding, Blane McElroy who was a friend home from the US and Rory Harrison an insurance broker who was another friend of theirs. After having spoken, this young girl decided to head back to a houseparty with these men along with some other girls. It was here the night took a dark twist. This girl who remained unnamed for the entirety of the trial claimed that Paddy Jackson, Stuart Olding and Blane McElroy all took part in sexually assaulting and raping her. The next day, the girl in question sent a stream of text messages to her friends telling them about the incident. They convinced her to go to police and press charges which is how we got to where we are today. In a similar manner, in the days following the incident, the accused men engaged in conversations in a WhatsApp groupchat about the events of the night. These messages became crucial in the trial and clearly demonstrate the role social media and technology plays in modern day incidents and subsequent ensuing narratives.

Theme: globalisation

As described by Fairclough refers to the ..

“tendency for economic, social, political and cultural processes to take place on a global scale rather than within the confinements of particular countries or regions”.

The global scale or even “stage” in this instance was the media. Not only was this case debated in court but also by the nation of Ireland and others across the globe. It tore the country apart as some were devastated to think of some of our greatest budding sporting heroes to be capable of such an atrocity whereas others were disgusted that a young woman could be capable of telling such awful lies.

METHODOLOGY

The social upheaval caused by this incident is obvious in the amount of media reporting, protests and public anger that ensued it. However, in order to give a comprehensive report of my findings, I decided to limit my research to the day of the verdict: March 28, 2018, in specific, the top 100 tweets. In order to get a full, well rounded view of what both sides of the argument were tweeting I examined the hashtags #ibelieveher , #ibelievehim and #belfastrapetrial. I did this by utilising the Twitter Analytics tool and refining my search to the specific date and relevant hashtag. I then manually reviewed the top 100 tweets.

To gain a better understanding of the topic at hand, I reviewed a number of literary works and articles relating to The Belfast Rape Trial and sexual assault. 

Keeping on theme with the assignment I also investigate the connection between this case study and a number of the key concepts we learned in class.

Mediascapes

One of the key concepts of Globalisation featured in this case is the mediascape which covered all aspects of media including social media platforms such as Instagram, Twitter and Facebook as well as more traditional media outlets such as radio, newspaper and television. As outlined in Fairclough’s theory, globalisation refers to matters that take place on a “global scale” which is certainly what happened in this case. The harrowing story of the Belfast Rape Trial captivated nations across the world including the most powerful country in the world, The United States where all major news outlets ran the story. The hashtag “I Believe Her” (#ibelieveher) was developed on Twitter as a sign of solidarity for the victim. This hashtag is central to the widespread coverage of this case. As with the Me Too Movement and the subsequent Me Too hashtag (#MeToo) that was shared across social media, I Believe Her rose to the trending category on Twitter and began gaining traction with users across the globe. Twitter was the key “global stage” in this instance and through this social media application, the story of a rape in Ireland became

international news and sparked a much deeper global conversation about the treatment of women and sexual assault across the world. As previously mentioned, a key factor to this case and understanding what went on the night of the incident lay within a WhatsApp group-chat between the alleged attackers and a series of messages sent between the victim and her friends. Once again, this demonstrates the central role social media plays in modern day incidents and the upheaval that follows it. The messages exchanged between the men in what they, at the time, deemed a “private” group-chat, gave a glimpse into the “locker room” talk of men when speaking about women. It showed a level of grave disrespect and raised a lot of concern about the “boys will be boys” mentality that has been nurtured in many cultures for years. The key questions being asked were: is this just “lad banter”? Or is it something more serious? In a critical essay, entitled, “If boys will be boys then girls will be victims”, the authors, Murnen, Wright and Kaluzny explore the correlation between sexual violence and the maintenance of male domination in society. It is said, “Sexual coercion is believed to be learned and maintained through widespread socialisation for this behavioural sexual script, traditional gender roles, and attitudes and beliefs that support, condone, and legitimise sexual coercion in at least some circumstance” (Murnen et. al, 2002). Sexual assault and coercion is something that is learned and nurtured through the “boys will be boys” attitude. 

HOMOGENISATION

The homogenisation theory touches on the idea that we possess a “sameness” across the world. This can certainly be seen in the similarities between the Me Too movement and I Believe Her. As explained in Reel and Crouches, Clinical Sport Journal entitled, ‘#MeToo: Uncovering Sexual Harassment and Assault in Sport’- The #MeToo movement has finally brought much-needed media attention to the age-old problem of sexual harassment in society. Last year, allegations of rampant, decades-long sexual abuse at the hands of Hollywood magnate Harvey Weinstein were hauled into the open, sending a wave of anguish across the country. Many people joined the fervent #MeToo cry to call out authoritative figures using their power to sexually exploit subordinates” (Reel et. al, 2018). This is very reminiscent of the I Believe Her trend as similar to Me Too’s achievements, I Believe Her stirred action from women in Ireland to open up on their own experiences with sexual assault and abuse. I Believe Her also put critical attention on those who were previously deemed “sporting heroes” and forced people to reconsider the hero-like status they had given them. Quoting McMahon, it is said: “Sport has been accused of being a breeding ground for sexual harassment and assault given the idealization of masculinity and violence inherent in the culture” (McMahon, 2007). This proves to be true in the case of The Belfast Rape Trial, particularly in the verdict of not guilty for the sport stars and their friends.

IDEOSCAPES

Ideoscapes is another key concept of globalisation that fits into my study. Ideoscapes refers to the ideologies of state, in this instance the “hero status” culture that surrounds sporting stars. This attitude is not something that is restricted to just Ireland but rather it is seen in most countries throughout the world. This links in with my next point in relation to banal nationalism.

BANAL NATIONALISM

Banal nationalism refers to the daily upholding of the sense of a nation that brings people together. This is achieved through multiple means including ideologies of state. Sport is one of the main tools for encouraging banal nationalism and uniting people in a joined pride for their country. Countries tend to put huge value on sports stars as they are the upkeepers of this banal nationalism. Football and Sexual Crime, from the Courtroom to the Newsroom by Deb Waterhouse-Watson, demonstrates this by exploring the Belfast Rape Trial along with a number of other sexual assault cases involving high profile sports stars across the world and questioning how they are handled. One important quote featured in the book that sums this up, reads as follows: “Contrary to the popular myth that rape complaints ruin male athletes’ lives, they both [Jackson and Olding] secured contracts with French clubs for the European of summer of 2018. London Irish drafted Jackson in May 2019” (Waterson, 2019). Once again, social media played a huge role in the upheaval that followed this development as people took to Twitter and other mediums to express their anger at the mens new roles and the country and sporting world continuing to support their careers.

FINDINGS

Firstly, the most prominent consensus from the public was an overwhelming majority for “I Believe Her”. The hashtag I Believe Her was used over 1,000 times on the day of the trial in comparison to the much smaller figure of 154 for “I Believe Him”. Interestingly, a large percentage of the “I Believe Him” content came from men directly involved in sport, seemingly reinforcing the theme of banal nationalism previously spoken of.  The impact of this case is immense. Rape Crisis Midwest reported an astounding influx of phonecalls to their helpline following the “not guilty” verdict. It is also interesting to note the similarities in the content tweeted by women with the hashtag ‘I Believe Her’ and those tweeted for the ‘Me Too’ movement. The concept of homogenisation can certainly be seen in the shared issues and thoughts of women on these similar issues. The upheaval and social unrest caused by this case was easily visible in the protests set up in the major counties around the country: Limerick, Cork, Galway and Dublin. In Dublin, it is estimated over 1,000 people attended the ‘I Believe Her’ rally. Perhaps the most interesting point to note in relation to this case study, is the tagline ‘I Believe Her’ which started out as a hashtag on Twitter and went on to become, arguably, the face of this case. This 3 worded tagline was painted on signs and marched in the streets, tattooed on a number of people, merchandised into clothing and other memorabilia to support the victim- and it all started from a Tweet. 

CONCLUSION

To conclude, the case of The Belfast Rape Trial involving WhatsApp text messages from accused members of the Ulster Rugby Team and leading to the birth of the hashtag ‘I Believe Her’, numerous protests and literary texts including an RTE Documentary covering the trial; demonstrates the upheaval caused by and including social media. It is evident from my research that social media plays a part in modern day social unrest. The messages exchanged in the WhatsApp group-chat gave the public a glimpse into the private conversations of men in regard to women and consequently caused huge social unrest. It is also clear how important of a role social media played in disseminating the information of this case as it quickly and easily crossed the country and the world through the hashtag ‘I Believe Her’.

REFERENCES

Murnen, Sarah K. et al. "If "Boys Will Be Boys," Then Girls Will Be Victims? A Meta-Analytic Review Of The Research That Relates Masculine Ideology To Sexual Aggression". 2002, https://www.researchgate.net/publication/226678379_If_Boys_Will_Be_Boys_Then_Girls_Will_Be_Victims_A_Meta-Analytic_Review_of_the_Research_That_Relates_Masculine_Ideology_to_Sexual_Aggression. Accessed 15 Dec 2020.

Reel, Justine J., and Emily Crouch. "#Metoo: Uncovering Sexual Harassment And Assault In Sport". Journal Of Clinical Sport Psychology, vol 13, no. 2, 2018, pp. 177-179., https://journals.humankinetics.com/view/journals/jcsp/13/2/article-p177.xml. Accessed 15 Dec 2020.

Waterhouse-Watson, Deb. Football And Sexual Crime, From The Courtroom To The Newsroom: Transforming Narratives. 1st ed., Springer Nature Switzerland, 2019, pp. 2-3.

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Murnen, Sarah K. et al. "If "Boys Will Be Boys," Then Girls Will Be Victims? A Meta-Analytic Review Of The Research That Relates Masculine Ideology To Sexual Aggression". 2002, https://www.researchgate.net/publication/226678379_If_Boys_Will_Be_Boys_Then_Girls_Will_Be_Victims_A_Meta-Analytic_Review_of_the_Research_That_Relates_Masculine_Ideology_to_Sexual_Aggression. Accessed 15 Dec 2020.

Reel, Justine J., and Emily Crouch. "#Metoo: Uncovering Sexual Harassment And Assault In Sport". Journal Of Clinical Sport Psychology, vol 13, no. 2, 2018, pp. 177-179., https://journals.humankinetics.com/view/journals/jcsp/13/2/article-p177.xml. Accessed 15 Dec 2020.

Waterhouse-Watson, Deb. Football And Sexual Crime, From The Courtroom To The Newsroom: Transforming Narratives. 1st ed., Springer Nature Switzerland, 2019, pp. 2-3.

Assault, The. "The Impact Of The Belfast Rape Trial On Victims Of Sexual Assault - Headstuff". Headstuff, 2020, https://www.headstuff.org/topical/belfast-rape-trial-victims-of-sexual-assault/.

"Large Crowd Turns Out In Dublin For #Ibelieveher Rally". The Irish Times, 2020, https://www.irishtimes.com/news/ireland/irish-news/large-crowd-turns-out-in-dublin-for-ibelieveher-rally-1.3444693.

Russell, See. "Protesters Gather Around The Country Over Treatment Of Women In Criminal Justice System". Thejournal.Ie, 2020, https://www.thejournal.ie/crowd-protest-woman-dublin-3931020-Mar2018/.