CYBER FLASHING

What Does CYBER FLASHING Mean?

The Quick Answer

CYBER FLASHING means "Sending an Unsolicited Obscene Image."

More Detail...

Cyber flashing is an increasingly common form of sexual harassment, in which the perpetrator sends an unsolicited explicit image or video in order to cause shock, outrage or embarrassment to the recipient. Cyber flashers are predominantly male and usually send pictures of their own genitalia (dick pics) to strangers or to people with whom they share a remote, professional, or platonic connection (e.g., a friend-of-a-friend, a work colleague, a schoolteacher, a celebrity). According to a survey by YouGov, 41% of millennial women say they've been a victim of cyber flashing. The term cyber flashing entered the mainstream in 2015, when a British woman was sent an obscene image over Apple Airdrop (a peer-to-peer communications system), while traveling on a train. The woman reported the issue to the police. However, they were unable to take any action as the victim had refused to accept the image and had, therefore, not received any meta data that would have identified the culprit's cellphone. This incident opened a debate which highlighted inconsistencies in laws in many countries, which mean that cyber flashing is not a specific crime in some places, while it is in others. Cyber Flashing is sometimes hyphenated (cyber-flashing), and often written as one word (cyberflashing).

Image for CYBER FLASHING

When I write CYBER FLASHING, I mean this:

CYBER FLASHING is sexual harassment.

Summary of Key Points

"Sending an Unsolicited Obscene Image" is, by far, the most common meaning for CYBER FLASHING when it is used in a text. (Bear in mind that it could have another meaning if used in a different context.)

CYBER FLASHING
Definition:	Sending an Unsolicited Obscene Image
Type:	Word
Guessability:	1: Easy to guess
Typical Users:	Adults and Teenagers

An Academic Look at CYBER FLASHING

CYBER FLASHING is a neologism (i.e., a newly coined word or term which has emerged into everyday usage). Some neologisms are formally accepted into mainstream language (at which point, they cease to be neologisms), and some wither until they can longer be considered everyday terms. A neologism can be:

• A completely new word (e.g., oversharers).
• A new combination of existing words (e.g., digital detox).
• A new meaning for an existing word (e.g., sick).

Example of CYBER FLASHING Used in a Text

You might also like...