The death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini in 2022 sparked a wave of protest and civil unrest in Iran. Amini had been arrested by the morality police for wearing her head scarf loosely and died in custody under unclear circumstances. We watched in admiration as thousands of Iranians took to the streets to protest against Amini’s death. Social media was ablaze with inspiring images of women standing atop stationary vehicles demanding for an end to their subjugation. We bore witness to a historic event unfolding thousands of miles away from us.
Digital spaces have drastically transformed human interactions and redefined our worldview, with cyberfeminism occupying a central role in movement building and feminist mobilizing. Restless Development’s 2023 flagship research, State of the Youth Civil Society report, “Young, Feminist and Fearless: Holding the Line”, revealed that 85% of young feminists globally use social media platforms to drive social, economic, political, and cultural change within their communities and around the world. The research delves into the lived realities of young feminists from 82 countries through a global survey and interviews and focus group discussions in seven focus countries: Iran, India, Honduras, Lebanon, Sierra Leone, Uganda, and Brazil.
There are several reasons why social media is a central cog used by young feminists in challenging autocracy and pushing for democratic consolidation. During the research, young feminists shared three distinct reasons. First, the costs attached to the use of social media are lower compared to convening physically. While access to digital spaces remains a challenge for underserved communities, particularly because of high device and data costs, young feminists highlighted that social media is cheaper in comparison to organizing physical gatherings. Secondly, social media permits young feminists to transcend physical boundaries, allowing their messages to permeate in the world and facilitating transnational collaboration and solidarity.
About the author
Maria Malomalo
Maria Malomalo is a pan-African feminist with more than 14 years of experience in women’s rights, adolescent programming, and action research. She now leads research for the global youth agency Restless Development and is the co-author of the organization’s annual State of Youth Civil Society report. She is the founder of Mwana Pwo, an NGO focusing on adolescent sexual and reproductive health. Maria is also an advisor for Urgent Action Fund Africa, a feminist funding organization, and a member of the African Feminist Network for Communication and Development.
