Fighting Online Sexual Harassments - A Qualitative Study of Strategies Applied within a Feminist Digital Affective Public

Abstract

Online sexual harassments are an increasing societal issue, affecting women on a daily basis, and resulting in exclusion from the public sphere. When a particular group is refrained from participating on equal grounds, it undermines democracy. The objective of this study is to highlight strategies that are applied when countering and fighting sexual harassments within a feminist digital affective public. The study contributes with theoretical knowledge on how interaction rituals within a feminist digital affective public can give rise to emotional energy and can lead to solidarity and create a collective identity. By carrying out a thematic analysis on posts from an Instagram account, it displays how humour, disgust, and shamelessness are applied as successful strategies. The research emanated from a hermeneutic perspective and drew inspiration from symbolic interactionism, regarding how individuals interpret and ascribe object meaning which turns them into symbols. These strategies provide future studies with a methodological tool for generalising on analytical grounds when studying online sexual harassments.