Discipline: Social, Behavioral & Economic Sciences
Subcategory: STEM Research
Ayanna Lynch - Bowie State University
Co-Author(s): Fiona Gilpin, Sadiyah Jenkins, Malaysia Johnson, Destinee Mincy, Fatima Seasay, Dr. Derrick Bullock
Historically, feminist movements have been criticized by intersectional feminists, such as Black and Latina women, for excluding the attitudes and experiences of women from diverse cultural backgrounds. The current study aimed to explore the level of diversity associated with the current cyberfeminist movements, specifically #MeToo and #TimesUp. Content analysis was used to qualitatively analyze the 405 independent items of feminist-themed social media and internet content associated with #MeToo, #TimesUp, #SolidarityisForWhiteWomen and #SayHerName. Overall, results indicated that the majority of the #MeToo and #TimesUp content was focused on sexually inappropriate behaviors rather than topics that may appeal to women of diverse backgrounds. By contrast, content associated with intersectional feminism, such as #SolidarityisForWhiteWomen and #SayHerName, were created by more minority users than non-minority users. However, contrary to expectations, more minority users created feminist-themed content compared to non-minorities. Overall these results support claims that the current cyberfeminist movements do not represent diverse issues that may appeal to women from diverse backgrounds. These results suggest a need for more inclusion in the current feminist movements as well as more research on this new topic.
Funder Acknowledgement(s): The Department of Education Ronald E. McNair Postbaccalaureate Achievement Program
Faculty Advisor: None Listed,