The dialectical praxis of organizing for social change in digital hashtag movements: MeToo and the Kavanaugh hearings

Papa, WH; Papa, MJ; Dejmanee, T

The dialectical praxis of organizing for social change in digital hashtag movements: MeToo and the Kavanaugh hearings

Papa, WH Papa, MJ Dejmanee, T

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Publisher:: Edward Elgar Publishing
Publication Type:: Chapter
Citation:: Handbook of Communication and Development, 2021, pp. 322-339
Issue Date:: 2021-08-10

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Field	Value	Language
dc.contributor.author	Papa, WH
dc.contributor.author	Papa, MJ
dc.contributor.author	Dejmanee, T https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7517-211X
dc.contributor.editor	Melkote, SR
dc.contributor.editor	Singhal, A
dc.date.accessioned	2022-01-29T23:02:36Z
dc.date.available	2022-01-29T23:02:36Z
dc.date.issued	2021-08-10
dc.identifier.citation	Handbook of Communication and Development, 2021, pp. 322-339
dc.identifier.isbn	9781789906349
dc.identifier.uri	http://hdl.handle.net/10453/153815
dc.description.abstract	In 2018, Christine Ford came forward with allegations of sexual assault against Supreme Court nominee, Brett Kavanaugh. Ford was embraced by the online hashtag movement, #MeToo. In response, #HimToo was employed by groups who rejected Ford’s claims and argued that it was Kavanaugh who was the real victim. In this chapter, we examined publicly posted #MeToo and #HimToo tweets in the days leading up to the congressional testimony of Kavanaugh and Ford. A qualitative thematic analysis of the tweets from the perspectives of organizing for social change and dialectics produced four themes: personal experience, identification, calls to action, and discursive appropriation. We drew conclusions highlighting the emergence of social media as a central component of social movements to mobilize participants, disseminate messages and generate digitally based activism and protest. Future research needs to consider the ways that these discourses might be applicable to contemporary hybrid and digital social movement formations.
dc.format.extent	21
dc.language	en
dc.publisher	Edward Elgar Publishing
dc.relation.ispartof	Handbook of Communication and Development
dc.relation.isbasedon	10.4337/9781789906356.00027
dc.rights	info:eu-repo/semantics/embargoedAccess
dc.title	The dialectical praxis of organizing for social change in digital hashtag movements: MeToo and the Kavanaugh hearings
dc.type	Chapter
pubs.organisational-group	/University of Technology Sydney
pubs.organisational-group	/University of Technology Sydney/Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences
utslib.copyright.status	open_access	*
pubs.consider-herdc	true
utslib.copyright.embargo	2022-02-10T00:00:00+1000Z
dc.date.updated	2022-01-29T23:02:35Z
pubs.publication-status	Published

Abstract:

In 2018, Christine Ford came forward with allegations of sexual assault against Supreme Court nominee, Brett Kavanaugh. Ford was embraced by the online hashtag movement, #MeToo. In response, #HimToo was employed by groups who rejected Ford’s claims and argued that it was Kavanaugh who was the real victim. In this chapter, we examined publicly posted #MeToo and #HimToo tweets in the days leading up to the congressional testimony of Kavanaugh and Ford. A qualitative thematic analysis of the tweets from the perspectives of organizing for social change and dialectics produced four themes: personal experience, identification, calls to action, and discursive appropriation. We drew conclusions highlighting the emergence of social media as a central component of social movements to mobilize participants, disseminate messages and generate digitally based activism and protest. Future research needs to consider the ways that these discourses might be applicable to contemporary hybrid and digital social movement formations.

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http://hdl.handle.net/10453/153815