"Online Feminism is Just Feminism": Book chapter
As part of the 2018 book Nevertheless, They Persisted: Feminisms and Continued Resistance in the U.S. Women’s Movement, Clayman Institute Associate Director Alison Dahl Crossley contributes the chapter “Online Feminism is just Feminism: Offline and Online Movement Persistence.”
In interviews with diverse undergraduates about feminism on three U.S. university campuses, Crossley found examples of “how online feminism provided information and perspectives that respondents did not fully acquire in their offline lives, in particular, personal accounts of gender inequality and feminism, and a sense of how to live out feminist ideals in one’s everyday life.” She notes the symbiotic relationship between online and offline feminism, and the constancy of networking in many forms to sustain the feminist movement. She examines the contributes online feminism makes to diversifying media narratives about women and feminism. The internet can amplify women who have not been reached by traditional mainstream media: “A woman with sharp and insightful comments on gender, race, and current events, but who may not have an advanced degree, be seen as an expert, or traditionally have access to reporters, may now be quoted in a legacy or prestigious media outlet because she has created a voice online.”
Crossley further examines the relationship between online and offline feminism, as well as the downsides to online feminism, in particular harrassment.