The Promotion of Digital Feminism on Chinese Social Media

Yifei Ni

doi:10.54097/axrbgt58

Authors

Yifei Ni

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.54097/axrbgt58

Keywords:

Feminism, digital feminist activism, #MeToo movement, deepfake crisis.

Abstract

Since fourth-wave feminism rose in the early 2010s, digital feminist activism has attracted increasing scholarly attention, bringing a new perspective to feminist research and practices. Drawing on the analytic framework of digital feminist activism, this paper primarily investigates how Chinese feminists use social media platforms, especially Weibo, to speak up, facilitate feminist awareness, and resist patriarchal oppression. Through analysis of two online activities in China since 2018, namely the #MeToo movement and the protest the Korean deepfake crisis, this paper closely studies media discourses of Chinese Internet users in support of feminism. The main objective is to highlight how Chinese feminists challenge deeply ingrained patriarchal values and contribute to the development of feminism under China’s online censorship and restrictions. Ultimately, this research sheds light on the role of Chinese feminists in online activities and their efforts to promote the values of feminism.

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