Psychology professor helps Marine Corps tackle culture change after social media porn scandal

Known for their bravery and sacrifice, Marines are usually among the first people sent to battle.

Recently, however, the U.S. Marine Corps made headlines for all the wrong reasons. A secret 30,000-member Facebook group being used to share photos of female Marines without their consent was discovered. It was an embarrassment for the Marines and drew the ire of Congress.

Asia Eaton, assistant professor of psychology

By some accounts, the Marines were quick to react, changing policies to explicitly ban such behavior and by hosting a recent symposium on social media misconduct at its Quantico, Va. headquarters. There, FIU assistant professor of psychology Asia Eaton addressed the corps’ leaders and other officers on the dangers regarding the sharing of non-consensual pornography.

“While the Marines are a tightknit community, they were hungry for knowledge and solutions from outside organizations and experts,” Eaton said. “They realized they have victims who are seriously suffering, and this has affected their national reputation.”

On the Facebook group, which has since been shut down, Marines posted nude pictures of women and some even threatened to kill or rape women whose images were shared.

“All it takes is a small group of individuals to establish a norm of non-consensual pornography to get the ball rolling,” Eaton said. “Because the group was private, they had the illusion they were hidden from public eye and felt protected. This made them more likely to engage in these behaviors.”

Some Marines may have taken the Marine Corps’ motto, Semper Fidelis or always faithful, too far, she said, by not standing up to others even when they might not have agreed with the activities.

It’s not too late to turn things around, said Eaton, who is also the head of research on non-consensual pornography at the Cyber Civil Rights Initiative. The Marines are making a lot of the right moves by changing and writing new policies. The challenge remains to respond swiftly and firmly when sexual harassment offenses are discovered.

“They are taking it seriously,” Eaton said. “They are taking our suggestions into account. I feel hopeful based on what I experienced there.”