Communicating through Cyberfeminism: Communication Strategies for the Construction of the International Feminist Strike in Portugal

Camila Lamartine () and Carla Cerqueira
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Camila Lamartine: NOVA Institute of Communication (ICNOVA), Nova University of Lisbon, 1069-061 Lisbon, Portugal
Carla Cerqueira: The Centre for Research in Applied Communication, Culture, and New Technologies, Lusófona University, 4000-098 Porto, Portugal

Social Sciences, 2023, vol. 12, issue 9, 1-12

Abstract: Despite the considerable attention given to how mainstream media portrays feminism and social movements, there remains a notable research gap regarding the exploration of how these movements themselves engage in internal articulation and employ communication strategies to connect with their publics. To examine communications practices of cyberfeminists within the fourth wave of feminism and the 8M movement (feminist strike), this study analyzes the communication platforms utilized by Rede 8 de Março, which mobilizes the strike in Portugal in three dimensions: (1) institutional and internal communication; (2) content production for online dissemination on digital platforms; and (3) mobilization strategies and action repertoires. Specifically, we focus on the years 2020 and 2021, considering the pandemic context, using a combination of netnography and semi-structured interviews with organizing activists. Our findings indicate a significant rise in Instagram’s platform utilization and exploration, concomitant with the establishment of WhatsApp as a central tool for both organizational and internal communication. These observations enhance our scholarly grasp of the intricate communication dynamics inherent in these organizational contexts and feminist movements, thereby offering significant contributions to our understanding of its operational mechanisms.

Keywords: communication; cyberfeminism; fourth wave of feminism; 8M; feminist strike; Portugal (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: A B N P Y80 Z00 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2023
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