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Fourth-Wave Feminism and Digital Activism: Intersectionality, Unity, and Engagement in the Digital Sphere

Rippert, Lindsay
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Abstract
This thesis examines the current state of contemporary fourth-wave feminism in the United States. In the digital age, social movements have adopted digital platforms as a way to engage in activism, spread awareness, and mobilize. However, criticisms of digital activism as ineffective have also emerged. This research examines how American misogyny-affected individuals view the current state of feminist activism and examines whether they see digital platforms as a help or hindrance to the feminist movement through the administering of a mixed-methods survey. It also uses the Women’s March as a case study in order to measure their level of offline engagement and compare it to their views on the effectiveness of social media activism. This research finds that most participants emphasized the importance of feminism, particularly intersectional feminism. They held mixed but generally optimistic views on the potential of digital activism, but only a smaller percentage were able to translate their feminism offline. Finally, this research suggests that feminism as a social movement may be experiencing frame vulnerabilities and a lack of unity, an issue potentially worsened by the digital platforms utilized by feminist activists.
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Thesis (B.A. in Political Science and Communications, Minor in Gender Studies)--John Cabot University, Spring 2023.
Date
2023
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Keywords
Fourth-wave feminism, Feminist theory, Feminism, Social movements, Political activists
Citation
Rippert, Lindsay Amoruso. "Fourth-Wave Feminism and Digital Activism: Intersectionality, Unity, and Engagement in the Digital Sphere". BA Thesis, John Cabot University, Rome, Italy. 2023.
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