Dick pic

A dick pic is derived from dick, a slang for penis, and pic, a shortening of the word picture. It is usually done with the penis erect and sent online.[1] This practice is frequently denounced when done in a non-consensual[2] way and may be considered a form of harassment. Some countries, such as the United Kingdom, have laws against sending unsolicited nude images ("cyberflashing").[3]

Frequent cases of unsolicited dick pics sent through AirDrop have been recorded.[4] Dick pics are also often sent by private message through social networks. For example, there are numerous known cases of receiving dick pics through Russian social networking site Vkontakte[5] and global social networking site Facebook.[6]

"No more dick pics", sign at a Women's March in Oslo, 2018.

The sender of an unsolicited dick pic may assume that recipients will be excited or impressed by the penis or the boldness of the gesture.[1][7] It is a demonstration of masculinity, particularly toxic masculinity, pertaining to narcissism.[8] A study published in the Journal of Sex Research in 2019 shows that senders of unsolicited dick pics tend to have narcissistic personality traits.[9] Some of the senders say they are looking for admiration of their virility or think of the act as a flirt tactic ("Double or nothing").[10] Behavioral problems due to previous trauma can contribute to narcissism, motivating senders of unsolicited dick pics.[7]

Denying consent and disregarding recipient desires[7] can be seen as characteristic of hostile sexism[8] and sexual deviance.[11] It may also be considered an act of hedonism.[12] The vast majority of victims interpret unsolicited dick pics as extremely offensive.[11][7]

Dick pics can also be part of consensual sexting and help satisfy mutual sexual desires. Those who send images of their own penis online can have various reasons for doing so.[13][14]

By deliberately crossing boundaries, the sender simulates courage and attempts to assert dominance, sometimes being aware of its negative consequences. Rejection and/or criticism often leads to abusive and aggressive behavior as retaliation, as the receiver compensates for the power difference with a critical response and thus does not validate the sender's dominance or masculinity. The negative reactions of the receiving party (often anger or disgust) are not necessarily motivated by the photo or the penis itself but rather by the fact that the encounter was unsolicited.[15]

According to researchers, for evolutionary reasons, men tend to overestimate the sexual interest of the opposite sex in them, while women tend to underestimate men's sexual interest in them. This overestimation, sexual overperception bias, may enable men to feel entitled to positive reception or feedback from recipients, typically women, assuming the recipient will become sexually aroused by their dick pic and will send a similar picture back.[16][17][18] This behavior, when unwanted, is more typical of heterosexual, cisgender males assigned male at birth who have a penis sending the image to what they perceive to be a cisgender female. Men not assigned male at birth, transgender men with and without a penis, other individuals with and without penis, and cisgender males without a penis assigned male at birth are less commonly associated with this form of exhibitionism. In contrast, men identifying as gay or bisexual who receive unsolicited phallic imagery perceive the event as positive more often than other demographics, more than half of these men in one study.[19] Specifically, 44% of men who have sex with men (MSM) reported being "entertained" and 41% felt "curious" after receiving a dick pic. 25% of MSM reported a negative reaction.[20] Some data suggests MSM feel a pressure to suppress their negative feelings about unsolicited dick pics. The same study found that 7.5% of heterosexual women and 12% of bisexual women reported feeling aroused by at least one unsolicited dick pic they received.[20]

In 2017, Australian psychologist Andrea Woling published a scientific study,[21] in which she claims that dick pics are a primitive way to interest an interlocutor, make acquaintances, and show one's intentions. In addition, surveys among men who sent dick pics show that most of them expected to receive intimate photos in return.[22]

Dick pics may also be a form of Internet trolling. For example, some girls claim that unfamiliar users sent them an unexpected dick photograph after refusing to meet or ignoring salutation messages.[5]

According to a 2016 U.S. survey, 49% of women have received at least one unsolicited photo of male sex organs.[12] Another survey in late 2017 concluded that 78% of women ages 18 to 34 and 69% of women ages 35 to 54 say they have received at least one dick pic without prior consent. 17% of men admitted to sending an unsolicited genital image.[11]

According to a 2019 assessment in the United States, 27% of young adult males have sent such unsolicited photos. The motivations cited are:

• hoping to receive a similar picture in return (44%);
• finding a partner (33%), hoping to arouse the recipient or believing it to be a normal way of flirting;
• to find personal sexual excitement in the act of exhibitionism (27%);
• feeling a sense of power and control (9%);
• finding pleasure in the insults that are likely to follow (8%);
• dealing with unresolved conflicts from their childhood (6%);
• offending or embarrassing the recipient (6%).[8]

Only 27% of individuals repeating the act of sending a dick pic say they would rather receive a positive response than a negative response.[8] Most of the time, no response is received in return.

In a 2017 YouGov survey, 2,121 women and 1,738 men between the ages of 18 and 36 were asked about dick pics. 46% of the women stated that they had already received such a photo, 89% of which were unsolicited. Of the men, 30% said they had been asked by a woman to send them a dick pic, whereas 22% of the men said they had simply sent one. Of all men who ever sent a dick pic, 21% said they did so without being asked[23]

Whatever the conscious motivations (or at least those displayed by the perpetrators), the psychoanalyst Freudian Caroline Leduc believes that these men unconsciously seek to "arouse anguish" by placing their (female) victims in front of what they feel their bodies lack.[24]

The social networks and dating sites are the most used vectors (Twitter, Instagram, Snapchat, Tinder and especially Chatroulette where, according to a count of academics in Boston in 2011, a quarter of webcams are pointed at penises).[12] The same study looked at another adult-only network, fantasti.cc: 23% of men's profile pictures show their penises (plus 13% who use a penis picture found on the Internet).[12]

In France in 2019, according to the former director Ovidie almost all high school girls have received a dick pic via social networks, especially through Snapchat; the figure of the exhibitionist has adapted to new technologies to shock and establish a form of domination.[25] An IFOP survey from October 2018 reports that 42% of female users of dating sites have received a dick pic there, a rate that grows to 63% for young adult women aged 18 to 24.[26]

In a 2020 US study by Marcotte et al., 2,045 women and 298 bisexual and gay men were asked about receiving unsolicited penis photos and their experiences with them. Of those who had ever received a dick pic (49.6% of women and 80.5% of men), over 90% had also received an unsolicited dick pic. Women, regardless of their sexual orientation, reacted mostly negatively, including feelings of disgust (50%) and feeling disrespected (46%). Only 26% of women said they responded positively to unsolicited dick pics. 7.6% of women (7.5% for heterosexual and 11.9% for bisexual women) reported experiencing sexual arousal. Of the men, 71% said they reacted positively to unsolicited penis photos. Entertained (44%) and curious (40.6%) were the most chosen options, 33.6% reported experiencing sexual arousal. 25% of the men indicated that they did react negatively to unsolicited dick pics. This study also found that younger women and women who had experienced unwanted advances from men more often were more likely to react negatively to dick pics.[20]

In French law, the practice can be considered as an act of exhibitionism, punishable by one year of imprisonment and a 15,000 euro fine, according to article 232-22 of the penal code.[7] Article R.624-2 provides for a fine of 750 euros for anyone who sends a message contrary to decency without prior request from the recipient.[29] Repeated practice will be considered harassment, punishable by two to three years of imprisonment and a fine of 30,000 to 45,000 euros depending on the age of the victim.[29] Finally, if the recipient is a minor, the penalty is 7 years in prison and a 100,000 euro fine.[30] In 2019, the correctional court of Roanne sentenced a recidivist man to three years in prison, after complaints from 49 victims, aged between 12 and 90 years.[31]

In Texas, the sender of an unsolicited dick pic is subject to a $500 fine.[32]

Finland was preparing to legislate in 2021, with a bill introducing a penalty of up to six months in prison.[30]

In the Netherlands, sending a dick pic inappropriately is a sex offense according to Article 240, paragraph 2 of the Criminal Code[33] assuming that it is considered offensive for indecency. In 2018, a man in the Netherlands who sent dick pics digitally was sentenced by a court to a community service of eighty hours, half of which was conditional, and to pay the victim compensation of 372 euros.[34] In 2022, the Netherlands asserts that the unsolicited sending of a dick pic can lead to up to two months in prison, or a fine of up to 9,000 euros.[35]

Unsolicited sending is also a criminal offense in Germany, according to § 184 (unauthorized distribution of pornographic material) of the Criminal Code. The act is punishable by imprisonment for up to one year or a fine.[36]

There are risks involved in creating and sending such an image. Anyone who sends such an image inappropriately can suffer legal consequences if the recipient reports sexual harassment. The image can also take on a life of its own and pop up in unexpected places. For example, the American artist Whitney Bell devoted a photo exhibition to the cock pictures she had received over the years.[37] An innocently intended image can also have adverse consequences. For example, in 2019 Jeff Bezos was blackmailed with images intended for his mistress from his hacked phone.[38] 23% of people who sent dick pics reported sharing them with at least three other people.[39][40]

Faced with the inaction of most social networks - which would prove if they censored private messages that they do indeed access their users' personal data - we have decided to take action,[12] Artificial intelligence-based filters appeared in 2019.[43]

Several individual initiatives have emerged:

• to denounce the intrusive character of the phenomenon, the American artist Whitney Bell realized installations where tens of dick pics decorate the walls of an apartment, like paintings[2] According to her, by this she wanted to show that unauthorized dick pics violate the personal space of a woman and cause a feeling of insecurity even in her own home[37]
• a British woman wrote (and shared on social networks) a very formal and humorous letter in which she explains to the senders that their photo "does not meet (her) most basic quality criteria" and gives them psychological care advice;[44]
• Madeleine Holden, a New Zealander, has created a site where she evaluates and rates the "photographic quality" of the dick pics she receives;[45]
• the dating app Once implements in 2020 an algorithm based on artificial intelligence that detects photos of penises and turns them into kittens.[46]

The multiplication of these images could have given rise to blackmail attempts, based on threats of publication.[47]

• Cybersex
• Cyberbullying
• Exhibitionism