The Practices and Subjects of Feminist Digital Activism: Experiences from  Slovakia and Czechia

This study explores the developments of digital feminist activism in Slovakia and Czechia amidst rising anti-gender rhetoric and anti-NGOism. In the climate of polit-ical change over the past five years, women in both countries began using Instagram to raise awareness of gender-based violence, harassment, and sexism. Through interviews with digital activists, this research examines the online dynamics of these networked publics. It analyses activists’ strategies for navigating public/private boundaries and balancing individual and collective efforts in a corporate-controlled online space. Despite the challenges posed by Instagram’s influencer-driven structure, these activists use the platform to engage in feminist awareness-raising and advocacy. This study contributes to the scholarship on digital feminist movements by highlighting the potential and limitations of social media to foster new forms of feminist praxis in a hostile political environment.

Authors

Publication Details

Journal
Gender and Research
Published
2025-08-30
DOI
https://doi.org/10.13060/gav.2025.007
Primary Topic
Social Media and Politics
Type
article
Field-Weighted Citation Impact
0.00
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article

The Practices and Subjects of Feminist Digital Activism: Experiences from  Slovakia and Czechia

Zuzana Maďarová, Veronika Valkovičová
1 links
Gender and Research
Social Media and Politics
article

The Practices and Subjects of Feminist Digital Activism: Experiences from  Slovakia and Czechia

Zuzana Maďarová, Veronika Valkovičová
article en

Abstract

This study explores the developments of digital feminist activism in Slovakia and Czechia amidst rising anti-gender rhetoric and anti-NGOism. In the climate of polit-ical change over the past five years, women in both countries began using Instagram to raise awareness of gender-based violence, harassment, and sexism. Through interviews with digital activists, this research examines the online dynamics of these networked publics. It analyses activists’ strategies for navigating public/private boundaries and balancing individual and collective efforts in a corporate-controlled online space. Despite the challenges posed by Instagram’s influencer-driven structure, these activists use the platform to engage in feminist awareness-raising and advocacy. This study contributes to the scholarship on digital feminist movements by highlighting the potential and limitations of social media to foster new forms of feminist praxis in a hostile political environment.

Gender and ResearchVol. 26(1)
Gender equality
Openalex Percentile: Top 73%
Social Media and Politics
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