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Social Media Engagement With Moroccan 4th Wave Feminist Content
Abstract
This paper will examine a new form of engagement with feminist content in Morocco on social media, liberating voices which were muted by dominant legacy media. The nature of this internet technology alters the way Moroccans send messages and interact with a large community of social media users. After the Moroccan Arab Spring, known as the February 20th Movement, and after the propagation of hashtag feminism, Moroccans looked to social media to unite their views in search for gender equality and social justice. This research will analyze the engagement of social media audiences with three feminist campaigns, which captured media attention and awakened collective consciousness: a documentary webseries produced by the disruptive digital platform Jawjab, Marokkiates (2017 and 2018), the artwork of artivist Zaynab Fasiki (2017-2022), and the manifestos of the Moroccan Outlaws collective (2019-2022). The statistical analysis and netnographic research of qualitative Facebook and Instagram comments will demonstrate a high engagement with controversial feminist content aiming at breaking the silence. Central to our findings is the flourishing digital ecosystem of counter-culture content producers and the bourgeoning of a new feminist movement in Morocco, support feminist and intersectional agendas (including LGBTQIA+ issues), encouraging self-expression in the public space, and engaging in constructive interactive debates around body and sex positivity.
Discipline
Media Arts
Geographic Area
Morocco
Sub Area
Gender/Women's Studies