Violence against Women in Politics on the X Social Network: A New Way of Expressing the old Forms of Violence?
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.51663/pnz.64.3.12Keywords:
violence against women in politics, social media, the X network, women in politics, women politiciansAbstract
The present study explores the escalating concern regarding violence against women in politics within the realm of social media. Rather than contributing to the further democratisation of public and political space, social media platforms have become conduits for the
dissemination of hate speech, aggression, violence, and misogyny against women engaged in politics at various levels, be it local, national, or international. This study endeavours to address the critical questions surrounding violence against women in politics on social media and examines the related risks and consequences for women at various stages of their political careers, including parliamentarians and those only setting out on their political journeys.
Employing critical discourse analysis and social network analysis, our research delves into the discourse on the X network during the two months leading up to the Slovenian parliamentary election in April 2022. Through the meticulous examination of over 300 handcollected
posts in the Slovenian language, we aim to elucidate the impact of the discourse on the X network on the pre-election events and assess the extent of violent and misogynistic content directed at women actively participating in the election campaign. Our findings
reveal that misogynistic and violent attacks published on X manifest themselves in diverse forms of expression, targeting women with high prospects of achieving favourable election results and those expressing critical views towards the government. The overarching objective of these violent and misogynistic activities transcends mere psychological harm and the
instillation of fear; instead, they aim to induce a sense of inferiority and dissuade women from active political participation, compelling them to retreat from the public sphere into
the private domain.
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