Communicating feminist politics? The double-edged sword of using social media in a feminist organisation

Abstract

Communicating feminist politics? The double-edged sword of using social media in a feminist organisation Media coverage of violence against women and girls (VAWG) has increased in recent years, due to high profile investigations such as the 2012 Jimmy Savile case in the UK, and in response to the #MeToo movement in the US. Feminist organisations are likely to be asked for comment by the media as a result, but journalistic interest in case details rather than systemic causes of VAWG means that political messages focused on ending VAWG remain difficult to communicate. In contrast, social media is frequently celebrated as a channel through which the politics of feminist organisations can be promoted more directly, bypassing mainstream media agendas. In this article, we present the results of participatory research that explored the tensions inherent in social media use by one UK feminist organisation, Rape Crisis England & Wales (RCEW). The findings challenge the utopian view of social media as a panacea for news media shortcomings. Rather than being unequivocally positive, integrating social media into a feminist organisation's communication work is a double-edged sword, bringing significant challenges that users must negotiate on a daily basis.

The importance of vibrant materialities in transforming affective dissonance into affective solidarity: How the Countess Ablaze organized the Tits Out Collective

“…An alternative trajectory is to express the dissonance, voice it to others and find people who share the affective dissonance to address the injustice collectively through affective solidarity. Dissonance followed by solidarity can form the basis of a feminist social movement (Hemmings, 2012), as demonstrated in the #MeToo (Edwards et al., 2019) and pussy hat projects (Black, 2017). In both these social movements, materialities such as website, social media and knitted hats were integral to the flows of affect.…”

“…Forms of social media such as Web 2.0, Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook offer direct, rapid communication bypassing conventional media. However, they are similarly enmeshed in power relations (Edwards et al., 2019) and political agendas (Baer, 2016; Harp et al., 2018). Social media promotes dialogue and can reinforce affective glue for solidarity, if used skillfully.…”

“…Work on social media is “connective labor” (Boler et al., 2014), it requires frequent input of appropriate content. There has not been much research on the lived experience of using social media (Edwards et al., 2019). Social media offer the benefits of voicing affect and creating visibility for critical issues, but they also have a downside.…”

“…Social media may appear quick and immediate but maintaining a presence takes energy and time that might detract from other activities. Social media could complicate feminist organizing, rather than making it “easier to manage” (Edwards et al., 2019, p. 14).…”

“…Affective solidarity is important in promoting women's equality, as it strengthens relations between the oppressed and gives impetus for action (Johnson, 2020). Examples of affective solidarity movements that formed to resist oppression include Everyday Sexism (Vachhani & Pullen, 2019), #MeToo (Edwards et al., 2019), and the Pussy Hat Protest (Black, 2017). In each of these examples, women felt dissonance between how they ought to be treated and their lived experiences (Hemmings, 2012).…”