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The Fourth Wave of Feminism and the Lack of Social Realism in Cyberspace
[journal article]
Abstract Recent years have witnessed a surge in research on the impact of the cyberspace on social movements. The feminist movement has built a vocal platform online which attempts to underscore sexual violence against women. Scholars have begun to suspect that the internet has ushered in a new wave, the fou... view more
Recent years have witnessed a surge in research on the impact of the cyberspace on social movements. The feminist movement has built a vocal platform online which attempts to underscore sexual violence against women. Scholars have begun to suspect that the internet has ushered in a new wave, the fourth wave of feminism. The fourth wave’s main feature is its reliance on social media. The accessibility, reach of a widespread audience, low costs and user-friendly environment have encouraged women to use social media to speak out against various forms of sexual violence directed against women. It is also assumed that going forward; the movement will also tackle issues such as the gender pay gap, neoliberal policies, maternity leave, and cultural sexism. Moreover, the internet-based movement is striving to bring to the fore the topic of intersectionality, that is, the intersection of oppressive institutions, and the attempt to rectify the failings of past waves by representing those oppressed by multiple institutions such as sexism, classism, and racism. This commentary provides an overview of the emerging academic literature on the fourth wave of feminism and critically reflects the lack of social realism in its existing form of knowledge production.... view less
Keywords
feminism; Internet; social media; social movement; realism; knowledge production; gender-specific factors
Classification
Women's Studies, Feminist Studies, Gender Studies
Interactive, electronic Media
Sociology of Science, Sociology of Technology, Research on Science and Technology
Free Keywords
fourth wave of feminism; realism; Cyberspace
Document language
English
Publication Year
2019
Page/Pages
p. 129-146
Journal
Journal of Cyberspace Studies, 3 (2019) 2
ISSN
2588-5502
Status
Published Version; peer reviewed