Fare femminismo online

Le creator femministe su Instagram tra posizionamenti individuali, istanze di cambiamento e strategie di resistenza

Abstract

The emergence of new feminist figures on platforms has recently garnered significant attention, especially because of the increasingly evident overlap between feminist discourses and neoliberal market logics, raising questions about the potential repercussions on the "fourth-wave" of feminist movement. Based on in-depth interviews with Italian Instagram creators who identify as feminists, this study aims to delve into the meanings that “feminist creators” attribute to their online practices, focusing on their positioning within feminist political practice. The research concentrates on the stance of these figures towards online feminist activism to better understand their perception of their role within it, highlighting the complex connections between platforms and cultural production and for collective movements. Results show how the label of "activist" often constitutes a challenging concept to engage with, precisely due to the economy of visibility characterizing platforms such as Instagram. Despite being preliminary findings from an ongoing study, crucial dimensions for future developments in influ-activism research and, more broadly, online activism practices emerge.