Experiences and strategies of female influencers in online political debates

What is it about?

The aim of this paper is to explain the reasons behind the persisting gender gap in online political communication by examining the experience of women who are among the most visible and active participants in the online discussions on political issues. Data gathered through in-depth interviews reveal that women employ specific strategies to succeed in this environment and to deal with sexist ad hominem assaults – they either emphasize qualities traditionally considered feminine and act as ‘witty divas’ or ‘nice mothers’, or accommodate to the masculine character of the environment by adopting a ‘tough approach’. Some of them even experiment with masculine profiles. These strategies seem to reproduce the traditional patriarchal binary frame and show that even influential women strategically subordinate themselves to the rules of the male-dominated participatory sphere.

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Why is it important?

The article reveals that not only are women targets of frequent ad-hominem assaults in the environment of online (political) debates but also that even the most active and influential among them employ strategies convening the sexist or patriarchal communication rules to become accepted in the environment.

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