Collective identity, that is, a shared sense of we-ness that comes from individuals’ identification with a group, is a central feature of social movements, as it is indicative of the members’ motivation to act as one. As social movements increasingly rely on social media for coordinating and performing protest, there is widespread concern that collective identity is at risk as personalized experience and individuals’ expressions of self become more prominent in cyberactivism.
Acknowledging the dialectic entanglement of individual and collective identity in social movements, and defining this relationship in terms of an identity configuration, this paper seeks to answer the question “How are identity configurations that foster feelings of collectiveness produced in (hybrid) cyberactivism?”
We rely on a longitudinal case study of a social movement called My Stealthy Freedom, which opposes women’s compulsory veiling (i.e., hijab) in Iran. Comparing and contrasting three enactments of the movement, each of which relied on a different social media platform (i.e. Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter) and uniquely hybridized on- and off-line protest practices, we demonstrate how identity configurations are differentially produced through sociomaterial practices. We identify three practices that are key to producing feelings of collectiveness in cyberactivism.
Dr. Mahya Ostovar is assistant professor in Business Information Systems at J.E. Cairnes School of Business and Economics, University of Galway in Ireland. She holds a PhD in Management Information Systems from ESSEC Business School in France. Her research focuses on social impacts of digital technology specifically on cyberactivism, online social movement, future of work, and online identity.
The seminar will be held in English.
Major information: Daniela Bolzani (daniela.bolzani@unibo.it).