Department of Informatics and Media Master Program in Social Sciences, specialization in Digital Media and Society Two-Year Master’s Thesis #MeToo: A case study of #sistabriefen Student: Miranda Andersson Supervisor: Ylva Ekström May 2018 1 Abstract As a result of the #MeToo movement in Sweden, #sistabriefen was created to represent the women, non-binaries and trans-persons working within the communications industry. This study analyzes the dynamics and identities of the #sistabriefen group members on their private social media platform. The analysis incorporates The Logic of Connective Action by Bennett and Segerberg (2012), and two complementary Social Identity Perspectives; Social Identity Theory and Self- Categorization Theory (Hogg & Terry, 2001; Hogg & Reid, 2006). The study consisted of 23 interview participants, and a qualitative content analysis over the course of five months. This research assesses how members are motivated to participate in the #sistabriefen group, how they identify themselves within the group, and how the group features affect members’ involvement. The findings of the research indicated that digital social movements have the potential to effectively mobilize social change. Keywords: Hashtag Feminism, Hashtag Activism, Safe Spaces, Digital Social Movements, Connective Action 2 Table of Contents 1 Introduction ................................................................................................................................... 6 1.1 The Origin of #MeToo .......................................................................................................... 6 1.2 #MeToo Movement in Sweden ............................................................................................. 7 1.3 Research Questions .............................................................................................................. 8 1.4 Defining Key Terms.............................................................................................................. 9 1.5 Justification and Motivation for Study ................................................................................ 9 1.6 Disposition .......................................................................................................................... 11 2 Background ................................................................................................................................. 11 2.1 Feminism in Sweden ........................................................................................................... 12 2.2 Gender-Based Violence in Sweden ..................................................................................... 15 2.3 The Spread of #MeToo in Sweden ..................................................................................... 17 2.3.1 #SistaBriefen ................................................................................................................... 18 2.4 The Communications Industry .......................................................................................... 20 2.4.1 TakeTwo ......................................................................................................................... 20 2.5 Researching Facebook ........................................................................................................ 21 3 Previous Research ....................................................................................................................... 22 3.1 Third Wave Feminism ........................................................................................................ 22 3.2 Intersectionality and Social Media Activism ..................................................................... 24 3.3 Cyberfeminism and Facebook ............................................................................................ 27 3.4 Digital Social Movements ................................................................................................... 29 3.4.1 Digital Storytelling ......................................................................................................... 30 3.5 Hashtag Feminism .............................................................................................................. 32 3.6 Online Feminist Spaces ...................................................................................................... 35 3.7 Feminist Solidarity ............................................................................................................. 38 4 Theoretical Framework ............................................................................................................... 41 4.1 The Logic of Connective Action ......................................................................................... 41 4.2 The Social Identity Perspective .......................................................................................... 45 4.2.1 The Social Identity Theory ............................................................................................. 45 4.2.2 Self-Categorization Theory ............................................................................................ 46 5 Methodology ................................................................................................................................ 48 5.1 Digital Ethnography ........................................................................................................... 48 3 5.2 Researcher Standpoint ....................................................................................................... 49 5.3 Qualitative Content Analysis.............................................................................................. 50 5.4 Interviews ........................................................................................................................... 52 5.5 Offline Observations........................................................................................................... 53 5.6 Coding the Data .................................................................................................................. 54 5.7 Ethics .................................................................................................................................. 56 5.8 Limitations .......................................................................................................................... 57 6 Analysis ........................................................................................................................................ 58 6.1 Solidarity ............................................................................................................................ 58 6.2 Awareness and Support...................................................................................................... 64 6.2.1 Inter-Group Networks ................................................................................................... 64 6.2.2 Intra-Group Networks ................................................................................................... 69 6.3 Inner Strength .................................................................................................................... 71 6.4 Sense of Security ................................................................................................................. 75 6.5 Organizational Structure ................................................................................................... 78 6.5.1 The Mechanics of Facebook ........................................................................................... 84 6.5.2 The Significance of Facebook ......................................................................................... 86 6.6 The Impact of #sistabriefen ................................................................................................ 87 6.6.1 Participant Responses .................................................................................................... 87 6.6.2 #kommunikationskoden ................................................................................................. 92 7 Discussion .................................................................................................................................... 94 7.1 Effectively Mobilizing Social Change ................................................................................ 94 7.2 The Motivation of Group Members ................................................................................... 95 7.3 The Identity of Group Members within #SistaBriefen ...................................................... 95 7.4 The Effects on Member Involvement ................................................................................. 96 8 Conclusion ................................................................................................................................... 97 9 Bibliography ................................................................................................................................ 99 Appendix ........................................................................................................................................... 113 Appendix A Interview Invitation ......................................................................................... 113 Appendix B Interview Guide: #sistabriefen Members ........................................................ 115 Appendix C Interview Questions: Participant 9 .................................................................