The hybrid political role of feminism on Twitter during COVID-19: SISMA Mujer in Colombia

Womens Stud Int Forum. 2023 Jul-Aug:99:102778. doi: 10.1016/j.wsif.2023.102778. Epub 2023 Jun 13.

Abstract

Twitter proved to be strategic for the dissemination of information, and for the activation of feminist social movements. This article identifies the patterns of representation around feminist movements on Twitter during the COVID-19 pandemic. We analyzed the discourse around a Colombian NGO known as Sisma Mujer, in a corpus of 4415 tweets posted during the first year of COVID-19. The results showed five significant topic categories: gender-based violence, women in peacebuilding, women's human rights, gender equality, and social protest. This activity re-contextualized the online activism of this movement into a new, hybrid role with important political implications for the social movement. Our analysis highlights this role by pointing out how feminist activists framed gender-based violence to generate a discourse on Twitter.

Keywords: COVID-19; Colombia; Feminism; Social media; Social movements.