Examining intimate partner femicide narratives on X: A social listening study in South Africa
1
School of Public Health, Wits University, Faculty of Health Sciences, Parktown, Johannesburg, South Africa
Popul. Med. 2026;8(Supplement Supplement 1):A3336
ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND:
Intimate partner femicide (IPF) is a significant public health crisis in South Africa, with a rate more than six times the global average. 1 While social media platforms like X have become important for digital activism, they have also become spaces where harmful discourses flourish. 2 This study explores and analyses the narratives surrounding IPF that were prevalent on X in South Africa between 2018 and 2024.
METHODS:
A mixed-methods retrospective cross-sectional study was conducted, analysing a final sample of 3,615 tweets and comments discussing 60 IPF cases in South Africa. A Natural Language Processing (NLP) model assessed emotional tone across six categories: anger, disgust, fear, joy, sadness, and surprise This was supplemented with thematic content analysis of the 2,553 most resonant tweets to identify dominant narratives and stakeholder engagement.
RESULTS:
Discourse was dominated by the general public in victim-related posts (47%) and social media influencers across both victim and perpetrator narratives (36%–50% respectively). While activism was present, a significant counter-narrative emerged. About 15% of victim-related posts engaged in victim-blaming, and 39% of perpetrator-related narratives actively justified the perpetrator’s actions, often citing alleged infidelity of the victim. Anger (31%) and disgust (26%) were the most dominant emotions, largely directed at systemic failures within the criminal justice system, such as bail and sentencing issues. Conversely, joy, (2%) was driven by reports of justice being served.
CONCLUSIONS:
The public’s justifications for violence alarmingly mirror documented motives of perpetrators of IPF, creating a harmful feedback loop. These findings highlight the need for segmented Social and Behaviour Change Communication (SBCC) interventions that directly confront victim-blaming and advocate for institutional reform on digital platforms.
Intimate partner femicide (IPF) is a significant public health crisis in South Africa, with a rate more than six times the global average. 1 While social media platforms like X have become important for digital activism, they have also become spaces where harmful discourses flourish. 2 This study explores and analyses the narratives surrounding IPF that were prevalent on X in South Africa between 2018 and 2024.
METHODS:
A mixed-methods retrospective cross-sectional study was conducted, analysing a final sample of 3,615 tweets and comments discussing 60 IPF cases in South Africa. A Natural Language Processing (NLP) model assessed emotional tone across six categories: anger, disgust, fear, joy, sadness, and surprise This was supplemented with thematic content analysis of the 2,553 most resonant tweets to identify dominant narratives and stakeholder engagement.
RESULTS:
Discourse was dominated by the general public in victim-related posts (47%) and social media influencers across both victim and perpetrator narratives (36%–50% respectively). While activism was present, a significant counter-narrative emerged. About 15% of victim-related posts engaged in victim-blaming, and 39% of perpetrator-related narratives actively justified the perpetrator’s actions, often citing alleged infidelity of the victim. Anger (31%) and disgust (26%) were the most dominant emotions, largely directed at systemic failures within the criminal justice system, such as bail and sentencing issues. Conversely, joy, (2%) was driven by reports of justice being served.
CONCLUSIONS:
The public’s justifications for violence alarmingly mirror documented motives of perpetrators of IPF, creating a harmful feedback loop. These findings highlight the need for segmented Social and Behaviour Change Communication (SBCC) interventions that directly confront victim-blaming and advocate for institutional reform on digital platforms.
| eISSN: | 2654-1459 |
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