Seeking justice on social media: Funas as a localized form of Latin American youth activism

A funa , a public denouncement aimed at raising moral condemnation of a person accused of perpetrating a crime or injustice, has become a major digital activism instrument in Latin America, particularly in Chile. Originated in the human rights movement in the 1990s, funas re-emerged as a new form of online activism that hybridized with a Latin American and historical form of protest to exert informal justice through social media. Drawing on a face-to-face survey of Chilean youth aged 18–29 years, we examine the factors that explain young people’s attitudes and behaviors regarding funas . We find that funas are gendered, with issues like sexual harassment and misconduct being the primary subject of funas . We also show that women hold more positive views about funas and are more likely to engage in online funas . Finally, our findings indicate that individuals who trust the judicial system are less likely to share funas on social media.