Facebook as a battlefield: social media users' attitudes and engagement with feminism and cyberviolence

Abstract

The women's movement advocating for equality and social justice encounters significant obstacles within the ever-changing landscape of social media in Egypt. Previous research has primarily examined the broader conversation surrounding feminism and the occurrence of violence on the internet. Nevertheless, there is a dearth of research that investigates these matters from the perspective of Egyptian social media users as a whole, with a specific focus on Facebook users. The study examines the attitudes and behaviors of Egyptian social media users towards feminism and feminists, specifically focusing on the dynamics and consequences of cyber violence as well as the impact of Western feminism on individuals' understanding of feminist concepts. The study utilizes the Situational Theory of Problem Solving and Attribution Theory as its theoretical framework. These frameworks facilitate the examination of the cognitive and psychological processes that drive users' engagement with feminist content online. They aim to comprehend how individuals perceive and respond to feminist content on social media. The research utilizes a quantitative methodology to conduct a thorough investigation of social media interactions and their implications. The study encompasses a survey that collected responses from a total of 379 individuals. Out of all the respondents, 65.9% were female, whereas males accounted for only 34%. Key findings indicate that a significant proportion of Egyptian women report instances of cyber violence, with social media being a prominent medium for these attacks. The majority of respondents indicated that perpetrators of the violence are primarily driven by peer influence and social pressure. A feminism scale was employed to assess the respondents' attitudes towards feminism. The analysis showed a significant majority of 64.3% expressed a "neutral" inclination towards feminist ideas. The study also highlights a profound misunderstanding of feminism in Egypt, which contributes to the perpetuation of cyber violence and broader societal prejudice against feminists. Furthermore, it emphasizes the critical role of social media in influencing public discussions on feminism, as well as the difficulties of dealing with the cultural and ideological conflicts that arise in this situation.