We present the research we promote with the Universitat de Vic on male violence on Twitter, and feminist activists attacked on networks share experiences and strategies to confront them.
See the research here (EN/CAT)
The University of Vic has carried out an investigation into the digital chauvinist violence on Twitter towards activists and feminist collectives with a public profile on social networks. Different Twitter accounts were analysed and activists and experts were interviewed from an intersectional perspective. Thus, the types of attacks on the different profiles, the self-defence strategies used by the activists, the profiles of the aggressors and how these aggressions are configured were revealed. This research has been promoted by Calala Women’s Fund, with the support of the Catalan Agency for Development Cooperation.
The digital environment is not gender-neutral and, therefore, neither of male violence. As a result of the pandemic, the digital activism has become more important than ever, leading to a proliferation of attacks against women activists, now in the digital sphere. It is therefore very important to continue to analyse this issue.
Online violence has specific characteristics and is in addition to other types of discrimination.
This research concludes what many activists have long denounced: that this violence is being perpetrated by intersect with other axes of discrimination (racism, ableism...). Also that tweets about feminism and racism are the ones that arouse the most hatred against activists. And that the collective harassment in a “pack” is emerging as one of the main characteristics of aggression in the digital sphere.
Gender-based violence in the digital sphere has some of the most common specific characteristics by their format that become difficult to manage without digital security tools and strategies for self-defence and technological empowerment. As Donestech explains, they are structural violence operating from the anonymity, which allow the replay constant and the immediacy of messages from anywhere in the world. Often they are not only digital, but we are also talking about a continuum online-offline. Such violence also occurs on platforms governed by large companies who do not always have an interest in tackling them.
Programme
19:00 – 19:05 (5 mins) Welcome to the event and contextualisation of digital male violence. Moderator: Anna Domínguez. Calala Women's Fund
19:05 – 19:20 (15 mins) Main findings of the research on male violence on Twitter against feminist activists and collectives. Rapporteur: Diana Morena. University of Vic
19:20 – 19:35 (15 mins) Experiences around digital macho violence in social networks from activism and response strategies. Speakers: Silvia Agüero, gypsy feminist activist and Alejandra Pretel, black activist
19:35 – 19:45 (10 mins) Feminist methodology to support those who experience digital macho violence: Project FemBloc. Rapporteur: Eva Alfama. Alia.
19:45 – 19:55 (10 mins) Time for questions and discussion. Moderator: Anna Domínguez
Participants
Silvia Agüero. We intend to Gypsyise the world.
Mother, Gypsy, Mestiza, Feminist and more. Co-author of Resistencias Gitanas with Nicolás Jiménez, proud contributor to Pikara Magazine and editor-in-chief of the magazine for the promotion of critical gypsy, feminist and anti-racist thought “Pretending to Gypsyise the World”.
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Alejandra Pretel. Afroféminas Argentina
Black, Afro-Colombian and lesbian activist. Representative of Afrofeminas in Argentina.
Diana Morena. University of Vic
Graduate in Audiovisual Communication (UPF) and Master in International Studies in Media, Power and Diversity (UPF). She is currently completing a Master's Degree in Women's, Gender and Citizenship Studies (UB). Simultaneously, she works at the University of Vic as a researcher in projects on gender violence in communication and as a teacher.
Eva Alfama. FemBloc
Representative of the FemBloc project from Alia, Associació Cultural de Dones per la Recerca i Acció (Women for Research and Action Cultural Association).
Anna Domínguez. Calala Women's Fund (Moderator)
Economist with a Master's degree in International Cooperation from the UAB. Since the beginning of 2021 she has been working at Calala Fondo de Mujeres in charge of the European project FemBloc and others related to digital male violence against feminist activists.
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