"What changed that before I did not publicly call myself a feminist, but now I do? One big reason is technological change. Technology and social media specifically has shifted the debate about women dramatically. The viral #MeToo movement in response to the Harvey Weinstein allegations is the latest most spectacular example of this power of social media to reframe our debate and shift our norms.
How did social media help do this? The writing of sociologist Zeynep Tufekci, who specialises in technology and its impact on society, comes in handy to explain how this works. In an article in the Financial Times she describes the power of activism in public. Hashtags, just like protest marches, have a similar characteristic she says. They let people know they are not alone. Now, we do not only know the same thing. We know that we know the same thing. This changes the calculation of risk when speaking out.
"Historically, sexual assaulters protect themselves by inducing shame in the victim… A culture of sexual assault is often accompanied by a culture of shame around sexuality and the female body. Authoritarian governance historically prevails not just through repression but also by isolating people.” This she says leads "to a spiral of silence, as many people assume their similarly quiet neighbours may well be supporting the regime, and that their feelings of dissent and rebellion are rare."
But in 2017 says Tufekci, isolation is becoming more difficult to sustain. "Floodgates of connection have opened up, online and offline, making it harder to control people through isolation and fear.""
How did social media help do this? The writing of sociologist Zeynep Tufekci, who specialises in technology and its impact on society, comes in handy to explain how this works. In an article in the Financial Times she describes the power of activism in public. Hashtags, just like protest marches, have a similar characteristic she says. They let people know they are not alone. Now, we do not only know the same thing. We know that we know the same thing. This changes the calculation of risk when speaking out.
"Historically, sexual assaulters protect themselves by inducing shame in the victim… A culture of sexual assault is often accompanied by a culture of shame around sexuality and the female body. Authoritarian governance historically prevails not just through repression but also by isolating people.” This she says leads "to a spiral of silence, as many people assume their similarly quiet neighbours may well be supporting the regime, and that their feelings of dissent and rebellion are rare."
But in 2017 says Tufekci, isolation is becoming more difficult to sustain. "Floodgates of connection have opened up, online and offline, making it harder to control people through isolation and fear.""
The full article can be found here: https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/why-i-now-call-myself-feminist-you-should-too-ana-bot%C3%ADn-/?trk=eml-email_feed_ecosystem_digest_01-recommended_articles-8-Unknown&midToken=AQGAEKxEwTJUWw&fromEmail=fromEmail&ut=31BUUZwF6Kwoo1
Although I agree with a lot of what is said in this article, I do wonder if there is a flip side to the hashtag in terms of it sometimes being used as a replacement for action. Has any real societal change occurred as a result of the #MeToo movement or is it business as usual? Have any laws changed? Are we living in a more politically aware landscape, or are people temporarily shocked and outraged, before clicking on the next #shockingstory or #cutecatvideo. Another example that comes to mind is the #BringBackOurGirls campaign of a few years ago. A tweet from Michelle Obama, (and many other celebrities) holding a sign with #BringBackOurGirls went viral. The picture was in response to the kidnapping of 276 Nigerian girls by Boko Haram. Michelle Obama was, at the time, the first lady of the US and had the ear of the most powerful man in the world, with an army under his control, and regularly met with other world leaders. Arguably, the point of the hashtag is to bring things to the attention of the people in charge, but when you are living with and rubbing shoulders with the people in charge all over the world on a daily basis, who is your hashtag for? Did the hashtag help? No, not really. Many of the girls are still missing.
Similarly, social media is full of hashtags for different charities and causes, and I wonder how many of the people liking/sharing the hashtags are actually donating to the causes, or if clicking the like/share button is the extent of their action to it...
Is the hashtag an empowering device for helping people feel less alone in their struggles or is it a tranquilizer that gives the illusion of a social movement, without actually bringing on any real social change?