An opportunity to reflect on the alliances that have been built and those that can still be forged within the social dimension of activism, the cultural sphere of feminist artistic expressions, and the academic field of research, feminist and gender studies, in order to bring about radical change in the name of social justice, rights, and freedoms.
As part of the conference “About Love and Struggle. Shaping Gender Policies, Alliances, and Relations”, the GIVRE research group presented a paper titled “Digital Technologies, Gender-Based Violence, and Forms of Resistance: A Critical Analysis from Users’ Experiences”. Below is a summary of the contribution presented:
Over the past two decades, digital technologies have profoundly transformed society, influencing the economy, politics, culture, and social interactions. However, these transformations have also generated new forms of power and control, as highlighted by the concepts of “platform capitalism” (Srnicek 2017) and “surveillance capitalism” (Zuboff 2019). While digital platforms can, in some cases, foster user empowerment, they are primarily governed by the profit-driven logic of their corporate owners (Van Dijck et al. 2018). This creates power asymmetries that exacerbate discrimination and gender-based violence online, particularly affecting vulnerable groups.
The GIVRE research project analyzed digital gender-based violence through 40 qualitative interviews, revealing that it takes various forms, including hate speech, cyberstalking, and doxing. These phenomena are deeply tied to entrenched social and cultural structures and are especially prevalent among younger generations. The strategies adopted by users to counteract this violence include avoidance and the use of reporting tools provided by platforms. However, there is also a growing recognition of the platforms’ responsibility in facilitating the spread of online violence.
The analysis of this phenomenon is rooted in a feminist and intersectional perspective, viewing online violence not as an isolated event but as the result of structural inequalities within the framework of digital capitalism. Additionally, it highlights the need for a decolonial approach (Noble & Tynes, 2016) to better understand the connection between digital violence and global power dynamics.
