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Women, digital space and the politics of visibility: How revolutionary is Social Media for feminist organising?

Women, digital space and the politics of visibility: How revolutionary is social media for feminist organising?

Social media platforms have been championed for their time-saving and cost-effective properties, but
what do feminists lose when their primary form of engagement occurs in digital instead of physical
space? This talk considers whether social media technologies are an aid or an obstacle to growing a
feminist movement.

The rise of social media has unleashed an avalanche of celebratory rhetoric championing the new
opportunities now available to women to digitally connect and network, raise their voices, and challenge
male dominance. Yet women’s use of social media for feminist communication renders their political
organising highly visible to men, and represents a marked departure from the autonomous organising
practices of the Women’s Liberation Movement. In comparison to the women-only culture developed
during the Women’s Liberation Movement, social media platforms provide increased opportunities for
men to intervene in and surveil feminist activity.

Monday, 12th November 6pm – 7pm

Building 80, Level 5, Room 12,
445 Swanston Street, Melbourne

Enquiries & RSVPs: info@catwa.org.au

FF Poster Nov 2018 JM feminism and social media (final)

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