Gaffud, Marvela Angela O.

GENDER AND THE LAW

Saturday (3pm to 5pm)

The Duality of Freedom and Oppression Offered by Social Media

“Both men and women should feel free to be

sensitive. Both men and women should feel
free to be strong…it is time that we all
perceive gender on a spectrum not as two
opposing sets of ideas.” 
― Emma Watson

In this age of digitization, social media has been one of the mostly used medium of
communication around the world either for campaign, advertisements and advocacy
purposes. Social media use can have major impacts on one’s construction of identity,
sexuality and gender. However, some social media sites exhibit problematic and
prejudiced themes through their photo and video posts. 1 This paper aims to analyze the
effect of the digitization era and how it affects women.
This digitization era has created a dilemma in identifying an individual’s identity– which
means a person may pretend to be someone else without other people knowing the
person behind the computer. People say, we can be whoever we want to be, and this is
what has been happening nowadays. Living in this generation has been about what
your online identity is – everything is now digital which is why everything about you
needs to be updated and uploaded in those platforms for you to avail their services. Our
phone has always been part of our lives, which is why social media will never lose its
role in our lives. If you don’t feel like going to the supermarket, you can simply get your
phone and order online for it to be delivered in your doorsteps These social media
platforms has created a world where people look at as a stress reliever where they can
say whatever they want to say and considers it as a leisure time whenever they’re
bored. Social media has created its own moment where news papers are no longer
being bought, because news are all over the internet. But like other things, social media
as well has two sides. It can either be a very progressive force to change something or
it can be used to spread regressive values and to bully. Social media and women’s
rights are interconnected to some extent. Social media can engage women in economic
and political life, and allow them to increase their self-expression thus promoting social
change. But it can damage the true image of women as well. The topic becomes more
vulnerable when women appear on the horizon. 2
Social media use greatly impacts self-identification and self-construction of gender,
especially among female users. 3 Online environments allow women to create their own
image of self and construct their own idea of femininity. The role of sexuality in these
online environments holds major influence in this self-construction. Sexuality discourses
on social media are shaping women’s experience with technology, their perceptions of
themselves, and ultimately, their educational and career choices and goals. 4 It has also
been noticed that social media (i.e Facebook and Instagram) has created a window for
a person to have greater body consciousness that invites massive body shaming. The
portrayal of each gender in a social media environment can be problematic, especially
1
Davis, S. (2018).
2
Aghavni, B. (2017). What Connects Social Media And Women’s Rights? Actually Social Media
Campaigns Help To Raise The Most Urgent Female Issues
3
Blower, L. (2016). It’s ‘Because I am a Woman’: Realizing identity to reconstruct identity for the female
autobiographical inquiry. Convergence: The Journal of Research into New Media Technologies, 22, 88–
101.
4
Ashcraft, C. (2015). Technology and sexuality—What’s the connection? Addressing youth sexualities in
efforts to increase girls’ participation in computing. Learning, Media & Technology, 40, 437–457

1
Gaffud, Marvela Angela O.
GENDER AND THE LAW
Saturday (3pm to 5pm)

when this portrayal is occurring in the realm of sexuality. Sexualized body parts claim
different responses based on gender. Male abs are viewed as sexualized, yet strong,
dominant, and desirable. Female breasts, on the other hand, are viewed as sexualized,
yet objectified and shameful.5
According to Dr. Eva Giraud of Keele University, in her article entitled Feminism: The
Power of Social Media in Women's Equality campaigns. A study into the relevance of
feminism in contemporary society with a focus on UN Women’s HeforShe campaign,
feminism has changed purpose and that today’s values of feminism have shifted from
fighting for political and economic rights towards a more sexualized twenty-first century
idea of empowerment. Walter argues that this reinforces fake, plastic, almost robotic
ideals of a woman: “Much of our society, the image of female perfection to which
women are encouraged to aspire has become more and more defined by sexual allure.”
Sadly, this is evidently true and women are now objectified in such a way that they are
being judged not because of what they believe in and what their advocacies are, but
because of what they post in social media, and who they appear to be in the digital
world. According to Stefanie E. Davis, while many of these choices are played out in an
online or virtual environment, the consequences of these choices translate over into the
real world prompting both psychological and physical effects. More frequent use of
image-based social media platforms like Instagram is linked to greater self-
objectification, especially when the user engages with celebrity culture. Today, women
are free to enter into almost any sort of sexual situation. They have the right to drink, go
to fraternity parties and date whomever they choose. All rights, however, come with
certain responsibilities. Women must come to terms with the powers of their sexuality.
Feminists have struggled to dismantle the traditional structures which seemed to restrict
women, but in the process, they have unleashed other forces. 6

The production of social media is also important to understand when analyzing

gendered issues online. Social media creation is gendered free labor. 7 Women create
their own photos or posts and send them into these sites with no financial reward. In
return, they get “likes” and followers. For every like, comes with its various comments
which may either complement you or worse judges you on how you presented yourself
in such photos – making objectified comments which leads to various psychological and
physical insecurities.

It is noteworthy and valuable to also consider a postfeminist approach when discussing

social media and the construction of gender. While male captioning, edits, and
comments do place women in objectified roles, original content created by women on
social media can prove to be empowering. Social media platforms are distinct from
traditional media in that they give the user power. Historically, women were solely
consumers of media, but social media allow women to be creators. Young women
should be taken seriously as cultural producers. Women can use social media to create
and distribute their own self-representations to the public. 8 The postfeminist viewpoint
on social media and self-construction of identity is, however, complicated and its
nuances should be recognized. Social media platforms were described as “gendered
and sexualized risk and opportunity,” emphasizing the complexities that must be
addressed. Social media platforms can serve as potential sites for resistance and
independence, but can still reify the objectification and sexualization of women online.
Women may post sexually explicit photos online for their own empowerment, but
through male commenting, editing, and redistributing, this content can be transformed
into degrading and objectifying material.
Women usually want, in addition to other things, a gentleman. This has nothing to do
with opening doors and being ridiculously respectful. It does have something to do with
5
Ringrose, J., & Harvey, L. (2015). Boobs, back-off, six packs and bits: Mediated body parts, gendered
reward, and sexual shame in teens’ sexting images. Continuum: Journal of Media & Cultural Studies, 29,
205–217.
6
Rao,N.(1993). The Feminist Dilemma
7
Duffy, B. E. (2015). Gendering the labor of social media production.Feminist Media Studies, 15, 710–
714.
8
Dobson, A. S. (2015). Postfeminist digital cultures: Femininity, social media, and self-representation.
New York, NY: Palgrave
Macmillan.

2
Gaffud, Marvela Angela O.
GENDER AND THE LAW
Saturday (3pm to 5pm)

acting like a lady. Women cannot expect to play with the boys without some cuts and
bruises.[ CITATION Neo93 \l 13321 ] Because social media platforms are open to the public
and fairly easy to use, original content of women embracing their sexuality and
femininity can be quickly and easily transformed into sites of hostile surveillance via the
male gaze. It is important to realize this duality of freedom and oppression offered by
social media.9

Despite the various oppression of women offered by these social media platforms,
admittedly, this experience has also reshaped feminism by giving them more
opportunity to be heard worldwide. While women are still underrepresented in media
generally, social media encourages a more level playing field, allowing for the
voices of women from a wider array of backgrounds and countries, with or without
traditional power, to be heard. 10 Social media platforms are everywhere, it solved
various troubles especially it’s capability of connecting one person from another
nation to the other. That being said, social media has been a means for feminists to
rethink the traditional way of advocating their rights by expanding and exercising
these rights through the use of the available social media platforms that we have.
Women are more active on social media; they use it more and participate more than
men. This is why it is believed that they will mark trends from now on, since they have
typically adapted more and better to the technology. According to Gabriela Olivan,
women today are the pampered children of the market. They hold power in their hands
to decide, or at least influence, almost anything, such as cars, technology, tourism,
beauty, medicine, household and children’s items.  This is why brands are increasingly
setting their eyes on women, seeking to attract them and keep them loyal.” In this
regard, social networks represent a powerful communication channel for reaching
current and prospective customers, to create community and involve women in
disseminating their messages.

9
Ringrose, J. (2011). Gendered risks and opportunities? Exploring teen girls’ digitized sexual identities in
postfeminist media contexts. International Journal of Media & Cultural Politics, 7, 121–138.
10
Powell, C. (2018). How Social Media Has Reshaped Feminism.

3
Gaffud, Marvela Angela O.
GENDER AND THE LAW
Saturday (3pm to 5pm)

BIBLIOGRAPHY

1. Aghavni, B. (2017). What Connects Social Media And Women’s Rights? Actually
Social Media Campaigns Help To Raise The Most Urgent Female Issues
2. Ashcraft, C. (2015). Technology and sexuality—What’s the connection?
Addressing youth sexualities in efforts to increase girls’ participation in
computing. Learning, Media & Technology, 40, 437–457

3. Blower, L. (2016). It’s ‘Because I am a Woman’: Realizing identity to reconstruct

identity for the female autobiographical inquiry. Convergence: The Journal of
Research into New Media Technologies, 22, 88–101.

4. Davis, S. (2018). Objectification, Sexualization, and Misrepresentation: Social

Media and
the College Experience

5. Dobson, A. S. (2015). Postfeminist digital cultures: Femininity, social media, and

self-representation. New York, NY: Palgrave Macmillan

6. Duffy, B. E. (2015). Gendering the labor of social media production.Feminist

Media Studies, 15, 710–714.

7. Rao,N.(1993). The Feminist Dilemma

8. Ringrose, J., & Harvey, L. (2015). Boobs, back-off, six packs and bits: Mediated
body parts, gendered reward, and sexual shame in teens’ sexting images.
Continuum: Journal of Media & Cultural Studies, 29, 205–217.

9. Ringrose, J. (2011). Gendered risks and opportunities? Exploring teen girls’

digitized sexual identities in postfeminist media contexts. International Journal of
Media & Cultural Politics, 7, 121–138.

10. Powell, C. (2018). How Social Media Has Reshaped Feminism.