Opinion | Resistance in the 21st century

Women across the world are using social media to amplify their voices and demand change. From the US to India, social media is proving to be the catalyst for change in feminist movements. Photo collage by EMILY PARIS, Photo Editor

As social media use has widened across the world and gained traction and popularity, activism has been reimagined in new and transformative ways. 

Ana Romanczuk, sophomore global communication and world languages major

Women, in particular, have made use of social media as an outlet for activism throughout the world in order to confront specific issues and demand change. Due to an increase in social media use, there has also been an increase in activism seen on these platforms. These social media campaigns are not only being launched by non-profit corporations, but also people with smaller platforms or public figures who took part in social movements such as the Me Too movement in 2017. 

Open Global Rights noted that there are several different means for activism such as a call to action to the public or advocating for specific issues. An example of this are the women and girls around the globe who have taken to social media to advocate for their rights. Social media and the internet provide a unique access point for women globally to partake in conversation and activism, as it is widely accessible, fairly low in cost and can reach a large global audience. 

While there are benefits to social media as a method of activism, there are also limitations, such as a lack of consistent internet access in specific countries and regions. Social media as a form of resistance is particularly relevant in areas such as the Middle East, North Africa, India and other regions of the world, likely due to differences in accessing outlets for expression. 

In Iran, Egypt, Tunisia, Morocco, Bahrain, Yemen, Libya and Syria, women have risen up and protested against authoritarian regimes over the last 15 years. The documentation of women’s struggles has provided insight into the environment in which they live, something that has been made possible by bloggers and citizen journalists.

The use of social media allows the women in these nations to speak out about their inequalities and find global solidarity. These bloggers have facilitated the formation of global networks that allowed for women’s rights issues in the Middle East to gain traction and attraction. 

Where citizen journalists have not always been successful, Middle Eastern and North African (MENA) women activists have gained international attention by engaging in different platforms such as the Internet, digital networking and satellite TV. These platforms have allowed MENA women to spread awareness about their cause and gain supporters.

The women have also overcome statewide social media control censorship by utilizing ICTs (Information and communication technologies). By overcoming this censorship, the activists have been able to communicate with others both domestically and transactionally. 

While the use of cyberactivism in the Middle East is comparatively newer in relation to other regions, MENA women activists are redefining the way they want to be treated in society by paving the way for other women in these nations. 

Social media has played a significant role in the shifting of power dynamics in the Middle East, and it also provides an outlet for marginalized individuals who previously did not have one to voice their concerns and beliefs. 

In India, feminism was not a popular topic until 2009 when Pink Chaddi released their campaign, ‘Consortium of Pub-going, Loose, and Forward Women,’ in opposition to Sri Ram Sene, a Hindu right-wing group that led an attack on women at a pub. Feminism was so dismissed that even author Sujatha Subramanian’s college professor referred to it as “apathetic” and “apolitical”. In response to the attack, women decided to rise up. 

‘Consortium of Pub-going, Loose, and Forward Women’ is a group of women who created a Facebook page in response to the 2009 attack. The page received large amounts of traction and gained 30,000 followers within one week. The group then later went on to organize sending 3,000 pink panties to the leader of Sri Ram Sene. The campaign was highly successful and extended beyond traditional modes of activism. 

The Facebook group also advantageously used social media to receive broader recognition and draw attention to feminist issues in India. Now, social platforms have been adopted by Indian feminists as a way to bring awareness to women’s rights. 

Social media, particularly in the United States, has helped amplify feminist issues. With the growing popularity of movements such as #MeToo, #TimesUp and #NiUnaMenos, women have been given a platform to voice their perspectives. 

Women who are a part of Generation Z (people born between the years of 1997 and 2012) have taken a particular interest in social media activism. 

There are countless examples of women in North America utilizing social media platforms to extend their reach and promote solidarity, such as writer and talk show host Ziwe, who promotes intersectional feminism as a Black American woman.

Social media has provided new ways for women to share their messages of activism, both subtly and boldly. Redefining approaches for feminist activism is the first key step in linking the traditional and contemporary ages of feminism.

While social media has helped amplify the voices of women in their respective countries across the globe, it has also helped women find solidarity globally. Women have taken inspiration from other examples of activism across the world and have employed their practices in their own activism. 

The use of social media has paved the way for women from different socioeconomic backgrounds to be able to support each other and advocate for change. This connection of women across the world is a unifying force of its own, as it gives a global voice to women’s issues internationally, and it also supports potential solutions for navigating and resolving injustices.

As social media continues to progress and alter our interactions with issues of politics, social justice and activism, it is likely that the resonance of women’s voices will continue to grow in impact.