Activism via Social Networking: A case study of Urban Indian Women Facebook Users
Several cases of digital activism via social networking sites (SNS) have recently appeared worldwide which specifically address women’s issues. These instances point to the fact that women are active on the Internet and use SNSs (such as Facebook) to promote causes and garner support for issues as varied as feminine sexuality, health and social agency. SNS, perhaps for the first time in the history of communication technology, is a communication tool that is used as extensively by women as men. One explanation for this may be found in the chatty nature of interaction that takes place on SNS, amounting to information exchange that verge on gossip but is not thereby less effective for activist purposes. Gossip need not be flippant and spiteful, but can rather gratify the actor and serve her self-interest, which is very similar to her experience when she engages in a quick chat on Facebook, irrespective of where she or her friend is located. Overcoming geographical and temporal limits, SNS as a ‘virtual public sphere’ facilitates genderbased activism, using tactics akin to the consciousness-raising groups of the second-wave feminist movement. This thesis investigates the uses of SNS by women for political purposes, and asks, first, whether this form of cyber-activism actually has an impact on society and, second, which political issues it is able to address most successfully. To explore this research question, I take up India as a case study because it is a developing country with a high level of technological penetration, especially amongst the urban populations, boasting the second highest usage of mobile Internet in the world. Even low-end mobile phones are enabled with data access options and SNS can now be accessed in vernacular languages. While digital activism is unfolding in urban India via the mobile Internet, in non-urban areas activists are resorting to simple cellular handsets. Thus, this development in mobile telephony has the potential to overcome the socioeconomic and linguistic diversity of the country’s population and make SNS available to the masses, which in turn can connect millions of users instantly and efficiently. It is not surprising then that Indian SNS-users are quite active in promoting causes online and garnering public support on socio-economic and political issues. Along with the theoretical data collected from existing literature, the analysis depends on three sets of empirical data collected for the project. The first set involved conducting interviews with experts who have used SNS in promoting their causes or are observers of digital activism in India. Secondly, a questionnaire was sent to urban Indian women Facebook users between the ages of 18 to 55. Lastly, based on the questionnaire respondents’ SNS usage patterns, the top 10 most popular Facebook groups were identified. I became a participant observer of these groups from January 2011 to January 2013, to gauge the interactions among the members within each group. In the analysis, these 10 groups were divided into three categories: consciousness-raising groups, civic awareness groups and groups promoting political participation. The feminist issues raised range from personal issues to formal political concerns. The recent acceptance of the Anti-Corruption Bill by the Parliament, along with the amendment of the rape laws in a predominantly patriarchal and sexist society, indicates that India is beginning to address some deep-rooted issues of concern, spurred by Facebook activism. These developments also signify a quiet revolution that has been brewing among women digital activists worldwide. This thesis claims that the digital tool of activism has the potential to unite the disparate waves of feminism, and in fact, to herald the beginning of a new wave of the feminist movement, initiated by digital gadgettotting young women as well as men who go online to voice their support.
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