The #GirlPowerEffect on Social Media, by Taima Moeke-Pickering, Sheila Cote-Meek & Ann Pegoraro

A year ago we participated in a Womens’ March demonstration at our university. We stood in solidarity with other Womens’ March demonstrations all over the world with respect to equality, equity and sexual violence against women and girls. While our group was small, we contributed to the protest using our Twitter accounts to bring awareness about the ongoing discrimination and oppression against women and girls. Interestingly, nearly 100 years ago, the Suffragettes in England were also fighting for the rights for women. Sadly, while there have been some improvements over the last century, we find ourselves still fighting for equal pay and equity. Our research analysis and observations draws attention to the power of Twitter as a medium for women activism.

Our first premise is that the historically dominant male media voice is diminishing due to social media as we see more and more women engaging Twitter to bring awareness and analysis to key issues such as those espoused by the hashtags #metoo “#timesup #womensmarch #mmiw and #walkingwithoursisters to name a few. We name this activism as the #girlpowereffect. Female Tweeters are no longer turning a blind eye to sexism, racism and male hegemony. By sheer Tweet volume they are changing dehumanizing female discourses and unifying voices in safe Twitter shelters where courageous conversations and teachable moments are reported.

Our second premise is that women no longer trust the male constructed and dominated policies and systems that are supposedly there to represent them. Tweeters seek support, ideas and endorsement from amongst their followers. Positive reinforcement from Likes and Retweets highlight hot topics and key messages and confirm what is meaningful and valued. Those who use social media play a vital role in bringing awareness to women issues framed from a women worldview. In our view, they are change makers and educators as their Tweets by sheer volume are changing the discourse for the better. Social media Tweets convey pure heart driven messages. This power to change the political landscape is becoming a norm for portraying women issues quickly. Women hashtags provides swiftness in disseminating information, strengthens ties among the alike-minded, and increases interactions with the world.

Our last premise is that social media is the new data haven providing researchers with a glimpse into the lived realities and political stance of Twitter users and their followers. This data can be used to inform equity and equality policies and strengthen conversations for making a difference.

We acknowledge the courage of women Tweeters who receive negative and threatening responses. The power of protest Tweets obfuscates threats instead compelling audiences to rethink or reimagine what is possible. Women hashtags are not just a one day sensationalist media story, here today gone tomorrow. Rather they keep alive the fires of “women’s rights are human rights” from generation to the next. Much of the thrust builds upon the experiences and stories from our mothers, grandmothers, sisters and women leaders. Women hashtags are an assurance that people continue to care about women issues and that there are those who are dedicated to finding solutions to facilitate change.

Photo credit: Joel Dickinson