"Netizens" a documentary screening by Cinema Politica Groningen

Join us for the screening of Netizens by Cynthia Lowen, a powerful documentary about online harassment presented by Cinema Politica Groningen.

This eye-opening film delves into the lives of three women whose lives have been transformed by online harassment. Carrie Goldberg, a New York attorney, launches an internet privacy and sexual assault law firm after experiencing cyber harassment. Tina Reine, a businesswoman in West Palm Beach, has her career derailed when an ex-boyfriend creates harmful websites about her. Anita Sarkeesian, creator of the web-series Feminist Frequency, faces an ongoing cyber-mob campaign of rape and death threats for critiquing representations of women in video games.

Through an intimate, up close approach, Netizens explores the many forms of digital abuse: non-consensual pornography, cyber-stalking, threats of violence, privacy invasions, and character attacks. The film shows how cyber harassment doesn’t stay online—it impacts real lives, from lost jobs and ruined reputations to offline harassment and mounting legal fees. Despite law enforcement lagging behind, these courageous women fight back on their own terms.

After the screening, stay tuned for an engaging after talk with special guest speakers Dr Qian Huang (Faculty of Arts) and Prof Susan Aasman (Faculty of Arts).

Dr Huang’s research focuses on digital vigilantism, creative labor, and youth digital culture, bridging media and surveillance studies through critical theory. She examines how cultural workers and citizens navigate identity and visibility in contemporary surveillance culture—including peer surveillance, platform governance, and state censorship.

Prof Aasman’s research spans digital humanities and media history, with a focus on media archaeology, digital and web history. Her work also explores audiovisual culture, everyday media practices—such as home movies and memory technologies—alongside documentary theory and visual culture.