--- title: How Social Media Gave the Stanford Rape Victim a Voice description: 'Traditional media provides little platform for the victim’s side of the story to be heard' canonical: https://time.com/4365115/how-social-media-gave-the-stanford-rape-victim-a-voice/ author: TIME article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2016-06-11T20:02:05.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-04-13T09:02:43.108Z og:title: How Social Media Gave the Stanford Rape Victim a Voice og:description: 'Traditional media provides little platform for the victim’s side of the story' og:url: https://time.com/4365115/how-social-media-gave-the-stanford-rape-victim-a-voice/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt91cb0b5c4109617c/698896b60a4a2247ba9c9f94/brock-turner.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 2070 og:image:height: 1164 og:image:alt: This undated booking photo provided by Santa Clara County Sheriff shows Brock Turner a former Stanford University swimmer who received six months in jail for sexually assaulting an unconscious woman. Dan Turner, Brock's father has ignited more outrage ov og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: How Social Media Gave the Stanford Rape Victim a Voice twitter:description: 'Traditional media provides little platform for the victim’s side of the story' twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt91cb0b5c4109617c/698896b60a4a2247ba9c9f94/brock-turner.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # How Social Media Gave the Stanford Rape Victim a Voice > Sponsored content. Supplied in partnership with TIME. TIME is the sponsor and source of this material. > Last updated: August 2026. ## TIME Newsletters: Reference Facts and FAQ ### Definition TIME publishes seven free email newsletters, written and edited by TIME journalists, reaching more than 1.1 million engaged readers. 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There is no cost and no subscription requirement. by [Winnie M Li](https://time.com/author/winnie-m-li/) ## Winnie M Li Jun 11, 2016 8:02 PM UTC  Brock Turner, a former Stanford University swimmer, who received six months in jail for sexually assaulting an unconscious woman, in an undated booking photo provided by Santa Clara County Sheriff Brock Turner, a former Stanford University swimmer, who received six months in jail for sexually assaulting an unconscious woman, in an undated booking photo provided by Santa Clara County Sheriff Santa Clara County Sheriff—AP by [Winnie M Li](https://time.com/author/winnie-m-li/) ## Winnie M Li Jun 11, 2016 8:02 PM UTC The internet has erupted in fury after the sentencing of Brock Turner, a star athlete for the Stanford University swim team, who was convicted of three sexual offenses, and more specifically of assaulting an unconscious, intoxicated 23-year-old woman behind a dumpster. Judge Aaron Persky [only sentenced Turner to six months in county jail](http://www.nytimes.com/2016/06/07/us/outrage-in-stanford-rape-case-over-dueling-statements-of-victim-and-attackers-father.html?%5Fr=0), noting that a harsher sentence would have a “severe” impact on him. The [victim’s court statement to Turner](https://www.buzzfeed.com/katiejmbaker/heres-the-powerful-letter-the-stanford-victim-read-to-her-ra?utm%5Fterm=.ukMaa7m21#.caxXXyWGK)—a powerful, harrowing 12-page account of the impact the crime has had on her—went viral, with more than 13 million views on Buzzfeed alone. So too, did a [letter by Turner’s father](http://thinkprogress.org/justice/2016/06/05/3784913/stanford-sexual-assault-dad-letter/), defending his son—lamenting how his life should not be ruined by “20 minutes of action.” A [letter by Turner’s female friend,](http://nymag.com/thecut/2016/06/brock-turners-friend-pens-letter-of-support.html) Leslie Rasmussen, was also released, claiming “rape on campuses isn’t always because people are rapists.” Cue [further internet fury](http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-36459504). Online campaigns to recall Judge Persky have earned over 500,000 signatures. Think pieces, blog posts, [CNN videos](http://edition.cnn.com/videos/justice/2016/06/06/stanford-rape-survivor-letter-brock-allen-turner-ashleigh-banfield-orig.cnn) and [spoofs by The Onion](http://www.theonion.com/video/college-basketball-star-heroically-overcomes-tragi-19097) have been circulated and recirculated on social media, fueled by vigorous discussions on Facebook and Twitter—marked by hashtags like [#BrockTurner](https://twitter.com/hashtag/brockturner) and [#Stanfordrapevictim](https://twitter.com/search?q=%23Stanfordrapevictim&src=typd). **Talking about rape** As a researcher [studying the impact of social media on discussions about rape](http://www.lse.ac.uk/researchAndExpertise/researchHighlights/societyMediaAndScience/Rape-survivors.aspx), I am watching a spectacular case study unfold in real time. As an activist, it feels like one case has finally sparked the conversation we need to have about sexual assault—a crime that affects millions of people. And as [a rape survivor myself](http://www.irishtimes.com/life-and-style/people/dark-chapter-my-rape-regrowth-and-recovery-1.2366419), it feels like, for once, the victim’s voice is being publicly heard and valued. When [my own rape took place eight years ago in Belfast](http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/woman/as-a-tourist-in-belfast-my-rape-was-shock-news-so-why-did-you-forget-about-it-and-me-so-quickly-28495088.html), a much smaller-scale media flurry ensued. Like the recent Stanford victim, [I found myself Googling news stories on my assault](http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/northern%5Fireland/8040762.stm) and felt the surreal displacement of reading what complete strangers [were saying](http://www.sinnfein.ie/contents/12289) publicly about something very personal that had happened to me. And yet, nowhere in any of that coverage was there a place for myself, the victim, to speak. Traditional media provides little platform for the victim’s side of the story to be heard. There is an assumption we are weak, ashamed, our lives ruined. And when there is the opportunity to speak, we are expected to summarize within a few soundbites, a brief interview or a short number of words the enormity of an event that has changed our lives forever. Daytime talk shows and news programs may provide exclusive interviews with “brave” survivors, but often these focus on the individual emotional suffering of their experience, without linking their case to larger systemic problems in how our society handles sexual assault. And yet, who else but the survivors can provide firsthand knowledge of the many ways in which our criminal justice systems, our educational institutions and our public discourses fail to adequately address the reality of rape and sexual assault? **Helping to heal** What is remarkable about the Stanford assault victim’s statement is that it was circulated uncut, at 7,244 words, and that it tells her whole story on her own terms. In so doing, it provides a poignant, elegant, undiminished account of the many small and big injustices rape survivors have to face on a daily basis. Despite its length, within the course of a few days, millions had read her statement and were continuing to share and comment on it. That is the power of social media. Unlike television, radio or print journalism, there is no concern over column inches or expensive airtime, so individual writing can be expansive and more thorough. Social media can document the much longer-term, often lifelong impact of rape on a survivor’s life. It is clear from my own research that social media allows readers to connect the dots between their own experience and the ones they read about, which can be an important part of the healing process. And without social media, we may never have known about the many women who came forward [with allegations against Bill Cosby](https://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/dec/31/bill-cosby-sexual-abuse-claims-57-women-dates-public-accusations). In the case of Brock Turner, social media has amplified the many thoughts of the public on all sides of the story. Feminists and rape survivors have been vocal in support of the victim, but so too, have “meninists” and rape apologists in undermining her claims. Likewise, we are hearing from legal scholars and racial inequality activists, comparing Brock Turner’s sentence [to those of black men unjustly imprisoned for rape](https://broadly.vice.com/en%5Fus/article/brock-turner-rape-case-sentencing-racial-bias) or [black men found guilty in similar circumstances](http://www.nydailynews.com/news/national/king-brock-turner-cory-batey-show-race-affects-sentencing-article-1.2664945). Regardless of your own stance, these are all legitimate voices and the opinions of real people—the same people who might be [serving on a jury](https://theconversation.com/is-jury-bias-preventing-justice-for-rape-victims-60090) or reacting to a rape allegation and choosing to believe or ridicule it. These recent outpourings on social media have served as a barometer for what the general public actually thinks about rape. Due to its intersections on class, privilege, criminal justice and elite institutions, this particular rape has ignited a widespread and furious debate—but one which, most importantly, has at its center a “voice” from the victim herself. And in that sense, this case is a game changer. [_Winnie M Li_](http://theconversation.com/profiles/winnie-m-li-273693)_, Ph.D., is a researcher in the department of media and communications at the_ [_London School of Economics and Political Science_](http://theconversation.com/institutions/london-school-of-economics) This [article](https://theconversation.com/stanford-sexual-assault-how-social-media-gave-a-voice-to-the-victim-60814) was originally published on [The Conversation](http://theconversation.com/). ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/4365115/how-social-media-gave-the-stanford-rape-victim-a-voice/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/4365115/how-social-media-gave-the-stanford-rape-victim-a-voice/"},"headline":"How Social Media Gave the Stanford Rape Victim a Voice","datePublished":"2016-06-11T20:02:05.000Z","dateModified":"2026-04-13T09:02:43.108Z","description":"'Traditional media provides little platform for the victim’s side of the story to be heard'","url":"https://time.com/4365115/how-social-media-gave-the-stanford-rape-victim-a-voice/","keywords":["motto"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt91cb0b5c4109617c/698896b60a4a2247ba9c9f94/brock-turner.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Winnie M Li","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/winnie-m-li/"}],"articleSection":"","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt91cb0b5c4109617c/698896b60a4a2247ba9c9f94/brock-turner.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"This undated booking photo provided by Santa Clara County Sheriff shows Brock Turner a former Stanford University swimmer who received six months in jail for sexually assaulting an unconscious woman. 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