Women Are Conquering Social Media: What That Means for Feminism

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Social media can be seen as frivolous and narcissistic; it can easily be dismissed as a play toy for young millennials and those who would rather express themselves via an online persona rather than a face to face interaction. Sometimes we become so focused on the negative effects of social media that we forget what a powerful tool it can be when it comes to politics and social movements. Lest we forget the power of Twitter during the Arab Spring and resulting impact in current political activities, this is a force that cannot only impact people’s opinions, but their everyday lives.

Recently, I was reminded by how this phenomenon has also impacted feminism over the past year in Susan McPherson’s striking round-up of the year’s empowering hashtags for women and girls. For starters, the article states how women have a dominating presence on social media, resulting in a large community waiting to be mobilized. Think of how much power there is in this social media presence. It is more than just one person’s tweet or post or photo-it is an entire community of women able to challenge social norms, push back against sexist policies and raise awareness of issues that impact our daily lives. Women have turned social media into a tool we can wield to demand equality and representation. At a time when some argue that feminism has stalled we should not overlook the activity that has been bringing women together via this online community.

The hashtag trends that McPherson highlights cover an array of spheres where women are challenging the norms and demanding change. What I find fascinating is how women have started so many conversations with these hashtags and continue to tackle more issues and concerns each day knowing the viral female community has their back. Whether it is demanding equal pay (#Ask4More) and challenging the underrepresentation of female leadership in companies (#LeanIn) or targeting the casual sexism women undergo (#YesAllWomen) and fighting the stereotypes forced on young girls (#banbossy), these movements of social media activism have been heard loud and clear. And heard not only by those who are perpetrators of the norms we are fighting against, but also by those who have turned into our allies and will join in the much-needed conversations to change these conditions.

And now I ask: where do we go from here? Our voices are being heard, people are following, tweeting, asking questions, joining in the dialogue. But the hashtag phenomenon remains limited to social media. Let’s take the conversation outside of the 140 characters and bring it to where it matters most: the office, the home, the streets. Bring it up in casual conversation before the next staff meeting, pepper it in your chat over happy hour with your girlfriends, tell your partner what is exciting you and what is infuriating you-and spread the word organically. There is no limit to who our audience is and who these movements impact, the goal is to make sure our voices are heard by everyone who has the power to make a difference. And we all do.

What I find the most exciting about these campaigns is the power of both the individual and the group. With each tweet an individual joins in the conversation-strengthening the goal of the all and broadening the audience. Each tweet also reaches that individual’s followers and has a personal impact that is just as powerful. It only takes one voice to speak-up on your Feed before you join the conversation and the domino effect continues. Each individual voice adds to the ongoing dialogue, but never loses the originality and urgency of her own experience and her own demands.

But most important of all? We are the boss. There is no validation from men, from media companies, from political leaders. We are not here asking for someone to listen. We are making our voices known and speaking with the assurance that we are already sparking change. With the hashtag serving as a foundation of community our voices and our demands can exist boldly and bluntly. Anyone can read the tweets, favorite, retweet or respond-and we have the agency to control this conversation.

As McPherson points out: “Whether they are planned in advance or sparked by an event, each one of these hashtag campaigns has proved to be an incredibly powerful force for raising awareness, promoting conversation, and galvanizing action.”

Let’s take this conversation out of the Twitterverse and into the conference rooms, the family rooms, the coffee shops. Force this synergy out of social media and into our everyday lives. What followers can we find there?