#ShoutYourAbortion:
Hashtag Activism and Digital Platforms
Donna Wielinga 10561005
New Media and Digital Culture University of Amsterdam
Supervisor: Tim Highfield Second reader: Sabine Niederer 20.921 words
Abstract
This study explores how digital platforms enable hashtag activism. For this study a cross-platform analysis is applied to Instagram and Twitter and a social media content analysis is carried out for examining the user-generated content of #ShoutYourAbortion as well as the content posted by the organization of the movement. This study shows the differences in use and content between the platforms for the individual participants as well as the movement.
Table of contents
I. Shouting abortions 5
II. Platforms 9
2.1 Two platforms: Twitter and Instagram 9
2.2 Platform vernacular 11
III. #ShoutYourAbortion & online activism 14
3.1 Social network sites 14
3.2 Storytelling for activism 15
3.3 Origin of the hashtag 16
3.4 Hashtag activism and digital feminism 18
3.5 Discursive change 21
3.6 Historical development of the movement 22
IV. Affordances 24
4.1 Twitter: Micro-blogging 24
4.2 Instagram: Focus on visual content 26
V. #ShoutYourAbortion users’ stories 30
5.1 Twitter: user-generated content 30
5.1.1 Personal supporting and encouragement 30
5.1.2 Resisting providers and movements 33
5.1.3 Announcing and informing 36
5.2 Instagram: user-generated content 37
5.2.1 Selfies, photographs and social sharing 38
5.2.2 Shocks and fake facts for resisting 42
5.2.3 Offline art for online activism 45
VI. #ShoutYourAbortion movement stories 49
6.1 Twitter: @ShoutYrAbortion 49
6.2 Instagram: @shoutyourabortion 53
6.2.1 Pictures of people and textual images 53
VII. #ShoutYourAbortion as digital activism 57
7.1 #ShoutYourAbortion: Movement 57
7.2 #ShoutYourAbortion: Users 60
7.3 Hashtag activism and digital platforms 62
I. Shouting abortions
Image 1: screenshot from Bust taken on 13-03-2018.
In 2015, the #ShoutYourAbortion movement was sparked by Amelia Bonow who posted a message on her Facebook page regarding her abortion (Smith n.p.). At that time Bonow was just an American graduated student (‘Amelia Bonow’ n.p.) but her Facebook post went viral and since then her life was changed. In the Facebook message she explains how well she was treated during the abortion procedure at Planned Parenthood. Her reason for posting the message was not to talk about the level of care she received, but to go up against the people who want to defund Planned Parenthood (Smith n.p.). By posting the message about her abortion, she opposes the assumption “that abortion is still something to be whispered about” (Ibid.). This assumption is the narrative where the defund of Planned Parenthood relies upon. In her post Bonow continues by stating that a lot of people are still believing in that narrative and she wants to change this with #ShoutYourAbortion. She explains she has started this project with Kimberly Morrison to change the common thought of women needing to be sad, ashamed or full of regret after an abortion. Bonow stated: “Why shouldn’t I be happy that I was not forced to become a mother?” (Ibid.). American writer and activist Lindy West shared the post with the hashtag ShoutYourAbortion. A day later West posted her own story 1regarding her abortion on Twitter, received many likes and retweets, and from that moment on the movement began to develop (Image 1). Since then Bonow has won several awards, including the Planned Parenthood of Illinois awards and has been published in The Huffington Post amongst others (Ibid.).
Almost three years after the Facebook post, the hashtag, the movement and the goal are still relevant and actively used. Discussing abortion is a topic that has been taboo for years. Even until this day, women are still struggling to speak up about their abortion. According to research from the Kantar TNS Nederland (a Dutch opinion research agency), Dutch people
advocate for abortion. However, they advocate for abortion only when the woman is raped or when her life is jeopardized due to the pregnancy (‘Praten over abortus blijft taboe’). Discussing abortion is important not only for personal healing, moreover, it needs to be done in order to protect and respect women’s rights. As Rachel Jacobson from Women’s Health Coalition states: “Stigma breeds silence. And the vacuum created by that silence, what stories get told, what policies get made?” (Jacobson n.p.). The women of the #ShoutYourAbortion chose to use social media in order to fight the stigma, break the silence and change the narrative regarding abortions.
Abortion has been the topic of debate for centuries globally. The laws and politics regarding abortion have a long history. At the end of the nineteenth century, abortion was illegal in almost all countries (Berer 13). This was due to different reasons: the abortions were unsafe and jeopardizing the life of the women, the abortions were seen as immoral and the law protected fetal life by prohibiting abortions life (Ibid.). Over the years, these original reasons for not supporting abortions have changed. Nowadays, the procedure of abortions is safe and are not seen as illegal by law in most countries (23). However, this does not mean everyone supports abortion procedures and laws. The changing of the abortion law to legalisation has costs years of work and support. An important factor of this change are not only the advocates who are dedicated to this topic in court, but also allies such as parliamentarians, human rights groups and most of all the women themselves (Ibid.). The laws have changed, but unfortunately the stigma regarding abortion has not. In order to de-stigmatize abortions, different allies should work together for the purpose of giving women the opportunity to openly discuss their abortion. And with the help of social media, we might be one step closer.
In recent years, social media have been used frequently by online (feminist) movements for discussing – sensitive – topics such as sexual harassment, sexism and abortion. The #MeToo movement uses social media to raise awareness and map how many women (and men) have experienced abuse and harassment in any way. The hashtag has been used by people online to spread their personal stories regarding sexual harassment. Their mission is to de-stigmatize the survivors and helping them heal (‘Me Too’). The #EverydaySexism movement aims to take a step towards gender equality by collecting stories of sexism to show sexism still exists and is very much alive (‘About’). The #SayHerName movement uses Twitter to raise consciousness for the death of black women and demands of action for victims of violence (Brown et. al 1841). These online protests by movements demonstrate the power of digital activism in influencing the public discourse (Yang 13). By spreading and reading the victims’ stories of everyday sexism, sexual harassment and actions of violence, people get the idea that they are not the only
ones with those experiences. The feeling of collectiveness and possibility to come forward with these stories are contributing to de-stigmatizing certain topics. Moreover, all these individuals contribute to the collective message by sharing their personal stories. The aforementioned hashtags are all researched in different studies, however, no research regarding #ShoutYourAbortion was found. This subject of this study is relevant and important to study, because it shows how the times are changing. Online movements such as #ShoutYourAbortion are providing new options through digital platforms for women to fight the battles they have fought for years. While this study is focussed on the #ShoutYourAbortion movement, a movement that is active for three years, another movement regarding abortions has recently emerged: Repeal the 8th. This movement is started by the coalition of pro-choice groups in Ireland and the Abortion Rights Campaign (‘Petition: Repeal the 8th). They started a petition to repeal the Eight Amendment that “criminalises abortion in all cases except where to continue a pregnancy would result in death” (Ibid.). Thus, women cannot get abortions or abortion pills in Ireland legally. This leads to women unable to travel being forced to proceed with their unwanted or unhealthy pregnancy and illegal abortions under unsafe circumstances. On the 25th of May, the referendum in Ireland resulted in 66 percent voting ‘yes’, allowing the government to change the laws regarding abortions (‘It's Yes: Ireland has voted to repeal the Eighth
Amendment’ n.pag.). The Irish government is proposing to legislate abortion is cases where “there is a risk of the life of the woman, a medical emergency or a fatal foetal abnormality, or up to 12 weeks without justification” (Kelly n.pag.). The Repeal the 8th movement shows how online effort results in offline results. Even though this study does not further include the Repeal the 8th movement, it is the showing the relevance and impact of digital activist movements regarding topics such as abortions. Moreover, it demonstrates how the discussion surrounding abortions continues to stay relevant and how digital movements and abortions are needed subjects to study. Another reason why abortion continues to be an important subject to study is the current political situation in the United States of America, with President Donald Trump and his decisions regarding Planned Parenthood. During his presidency campaign, Trump claimed that he was “pro-life with some exceptions”. Last January, the president announced that “the fight to protect life was not over” (M.S.R. n.pag.). Trump followed up on his statement by signing a bill that gives states the permissions to withhold federal money from organizations that provide abortion services (Mercia n.pag.). The victims of the decisions made by Trump are powerless when it comes to changing the laws or directly interacting with the president, however, through the use of digital platforms, victims now have the opportunity to strike back against the president and his choices. It allows them to take action and fight for their rights. It
is important to map out how these online activist movements are using digital platforms and explore how the digital platforms are enabling hashtag activism to not only display how activism has changed throughout the years due to technology, but also how digital platforms are being repurposed for bigger purposes than just making friends online.
The official movement as well as the individual users of #ShoutYourAbortion are using social media in different ways. Not only is the user-generated content of the hashtag #ShoutYourAbortion important for the movement; the official pages of the movement ShoutYourAbortion are also sharing valuable content, such as the announcing of events or the sharing of stories of others. Therefore, this research will explore content and use of digital platforms of both to answer the question: How are digital platforms enabling hashtag activism? This research aims to shed light on how the official social network accounts of #ShoutYourAbortion as well as the individual contributions are using the platforms to de-stigmatize abortion. By exploring the differences between the two different platforms through affordances and content, this research will contribute to the field of digital platforms and hashtag activism. Moreover, this research will stand out due to the comparison between Twitter and Instagram in relation to the #ShoutYourAbortion movement, whereas, most studies only involve the exploration of one platform. It is important to keep investigating in topics such as abortions, to continue spreading awareness and raising attention to break the silence, and to respect and protect women’s rights. Moreover, to map out the use and process of hashtag activism and how the digital platforms enable this kind of activism to demonstrate the influence of digital platforms on matters of life and death.
Thus, the contemporary political situation of the United States of America, the active use of #ShoutYourAbortion by users and the current relevance of using digital platforms for activism is what builds the case for this study. This study aims to answer the question: How do digital platforms enable hashtag activism? The following section starts with discussing the method and will later on dive into the meaning of ‘platforms’.
II. Platforms
2.1 Two platforms: Twitter and Instagram
In order to explore how digital platforms are enabling the hashtag activism of the #ShoutYourAbortion movement, the development of the movement is sketched based upon their website. This will provide an overview of how the movement has developed over time. The method for this part of the analysis will contain a content-analysis of the website https://shoutyourabortion.com. The website of Shout Your Abortion will be analysed of the years 2015, 2016, 2017 and 2018 with the use of the Internet Archive Wayback Machine. By providing a brief history of the movement according to their own website, the case study will be more relevant, hence it is providing an extra layer, an addition to the story of Shout Your Abortion.
Subsequently, this study will perform a cross-platform and content analysis of Instagram and Twitter. The content analysis will include user-generated content of #ShoutYourAbortion and content posted by the official accounts of the #ShoutYourAbortion movement. The platforms Instagram and Twitter are chosen due to several reasons. First, both platforms are used actively by the movement. The movement is present and active by posting on a daily basis: thus, the digital platforms have an extensive amount of content. Second, the platforms are actively used by users for everyday discussions, political discussions and for activism. Moreover, #ShoutYourAbortion is used multiple times a day by individuals. Thus, the activity on the platforms by different actors show how these particular platforms have a key role in the movement and will therefore be selected for this study. Third, Twitter and Instagram have different affordances thus the movement and users will use these platforms in a different way. This makes it interesting to study both.
For the cross-platform analysis the features and affordances of each platform will be explored. Affordances are meaningful when people decide how to use media for online sharing of personal stories (Choi & Toma 538). Moreover, they are a web of factors that affect people’s choice on how to share, when to share, when to react and with whom to share (Ibid.). People choose certain kinds of social media based on what those media afford them and how these affordances fulfil their psychological needs. These needs are accessibility, message visibility, availability of non-verbal cues and intrusiveness of immediate feedback and help (Ibid.). Thus, from this point of view, different needs would ask for different affordances, and therefore, would ask for different platforms or social network sites.
For the content analysis, the chosen period of time is the same for both platforms, as well as for the official account content and user-generated content. This period starts at 1
February 2018 and continues until 1 March 2018. This period is selected due to the level of activity on both platforms: content is posted on a daily basis by the users as well as the movement. For the user-generated content analysis, the keyword #ShoutYourAbortion will be queried on both platforms. The dataset will be manually selected and analysed through the results of the query, and added to a spreadsheet. The categories will be conducted through an inductive matter and are based upon the function of the posts. For example, the posted content can be used for announcing events, supporting abortion experiences or resisting abortion. Subsequently, the accounts who post the content will also be analysed whether or not it is a personal account. By doing so, differences between actors using the #ShoutYourAbortion can be explored. On Instagram and Twitter, the visual as well as the textual content will be analysed. The second part of the analysis contains the content analysis of the #ShoutYourAbortion movement. This part will focus on what the organization posts on the digital platforms and the possible differences between the content on and the use of the two platforms. On the official website of #ShoutYourAbortion, their Twitter (@ShoutYrAbortion2) and Instagram account (@shoutyourabortion3) are linked. All posts and reposts uploaded by the accounts between the 1st of February until the 1st of March are included. The categorizing of the official content is based upon the question: where does the post draw attention to? For example, is the tweet drawing attention to the movement, is the retweet drawing attention to a personal story from a user or is the tweet drawing attention to third parties? The categories for this part of the analysis will therefore be: users’ content, movement content and third-party content.
As mentioned in former sections, this study explores the content on Instagram and Twitter. Although, this study is aware of Facebook’s role and presence in certain hashtag activist movement (such as #MeToo), Facebook is not included in this study due to several reasons. First, the affordances of Facebook are making the platform unsuitable to be included: users can decide per post whether or not the post will be private or public (Highfield & Leaver n.pag.) This will limit the access to content. Second, the algorithm of the platform presents the results of #ShoutYourAbortion not in chronological order. This makes the content not usable for the content analysis, since it cannot be selected based on a specific time frame or period. Moreover, the unchronological order of results makes it impossible to recognize patterns or recurrent themes within the content. Third, according to Richard Rogers, some platforms are more suitable for cross-platform analysis than others. The presence of certain mutual elements,
2 https://twitter.com/ShoutYrAbortion
such as the hashtag and the “roughly similar cultures of use” are both important factors to decide which platforms will be selected for cross-platform analysis (Rogers 13). Rogers states, that Instagram and Twitter are often the subject of cross-platform analysis due to their mutual element and use of the hashtag (Ibid.). Thus, the choice has been made to follow Rogers and exclude Facebook. And last, the official website of #ShoutYourAbortion does not link to a Facebook page, only an Instagram and Twitter account can be found on their website. With this knowledge, it seems that the movement itself does not value Facebook as a platform that will add something meaningful for and to the movement and will therefore be left out of this study.
Most of the dataset for this research contains public social media content: content that is posted by a social media account that can be publicly viewed. When using this kind of data, one should keep in mind the research ethics of this personal content, especially when the research discusses sensitive subjects, such as abortion. This study incorporates screenshots to provide examples and to support statements, however, the username and profile pictures of personal accounts are made unrecognizable and links to these posts are not included. The choice to make these pieces of information unrecognizable is due to various reasons. The main reason is the users are not personally asked for permission to use their public social media content in this study and most users are not aware of the fact that their content can be used for research purposes (Fiesler & Proferes 5). Moreover, the content can influence the users’ future by the possibility of being identified and related to certain statements and topics (2). Users give preference to being quoted anonymously in researches and emphasize the importance of the contextual factors of the research: they tend to be more positive about their content being used when it will help other people and it also depends on the research topic (7). Therefore, the choice for a “light disguise” (5) for the accounts has been chosen: only the content but no usernames or profile pictures will be shown in the screenshots. This study aims to respect the privacy of the persons included in this research as much as possible, however, due to the focus of this research regarding digital activism user-generated data is too relevant to be excluded.
2.2 Platform vernacular
The term platform is not easily defined. Platforms can be viewed as social, technical and cultural artefacts (Van Dijck 29). Following Tarleton Gillespie, a platform can have four meanings: computational, architectural, figurative and political (349, 350). For this study, the multiple meanings are relevant. The computational meaning is used for the technological aspects of platforms: platforms are a “infrastructure that supports the design and use of
particular applications” (Gillespie 349). Moreover, platforms provide software and services that code social activity into computational architecture (Van Dijck 29). The platforms used for hashtag activism are also figurative platforms, hence they make up the “ground, foundation or basis for an action [or] event” (Gillespie 350). Moreover, the platforms are used for “opportunity, action and insight” (Ibid.). The platforms are designed for a particular activity to take place and imply a certain neutrality: one thinks of platforms as “flat, featureless and open to all” (350). However, platforms are not neutral, they carry a political valence “where a position must be taken”, this is the political meaning of platforms. Especially for (political) subjects such as abortions the political meaning of platforms is important to keep in mind. To think about which stakeholders influence the platforms and in what way. Digital platforms do not merely shape the “social dynamics” that take place, moreover, the design of the platforms allows for certain behaviour and results in a public culture they enable (Gillespie 2). Thus, digital platforms “intervene” in many ways (Gillespie 2).
Digital platforms all have a different platform vernacular; each platform has its own particular form of communication (Gibbs et. al 256). This communication is not only between users, but also includes affordances and features. Design, use and appropriation are developing the platform vernacular per platform over time (Ibid.). The vernacular is unique per platform; however, the platform vernaculars can share mutual characteristics (257). For example, the feature of hashtag is incorporated in different digital platforms: on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook the hashtag can be used. However, the use of the hashtag functions differently on each platform. On Facebook a hashtag can be included in the messages but is less common than the use of hashtags on Twitter and Instagram. On Instagram, the hashtag can be used to search for images. By adding a hashtag to an image, the image gets a different meaning. It allows users to search for similar images, or images related to the same topic. Moreover, the hashtag creates a database of all the images with that hashtag. On Twitter the hashtag allows for joining or following conversations on certain topics. Thus, a platform vernacular characteristic can enable different affordances. The hashtag contributes to the each of these platform vernaculars, the way of communicating, differently. Although the platforms may have the hashtag implemented into their interface and design, this does not mean that the ways of communication on these platforms are the same. The platforms also have other characteristics that contribute to the form of communication besides the hashtag. Thus, the platform vernaculars share one characteristic (the hashtag), but do not share the same platform vernacular. The hashtag shows one characteristic affords different uses on platforms. Similar to what Richard Rogers states “digital
objects […] should not necessarily be treated as if they are employed equivalently across all platforms, even when present” (8).
Not only have digital platforms their own form of communication, digital platforms also influence the communication between users and between the user and the platform itself. Or how Marshall McLuhan states: “The medium is the message” (1). In this study, this means that the platforms Instagram and Twitter have influence in the way content is made, shared and received by the movement as well as the users. Furthermore, that the platform itself and the choice for this platform is not just a mere detail but an interesting fact to study. Thus, the character of the medium is the message (Ibid.). This reflects to statement made earlier that platforms are not neutral but add meaning to the content and behaviour. The affordances and features of the medium is what shapes the action of human. Not only the content on the platform should be studied but also the character of the platform and the differences between the platforms. Why certain platforms are chosen to be used. The medium, thus, itself is the message. This is in line with the way of thinking by Gibbs et al., every platform has its own vernacular and this platform vernacular is what influences the whole process of using, making and posting. The medium shapes, forms and controls human action. It provides the user a certain way of communicating which would not exist without it. Digital platforms allow users to spread messages globally, creating connections which would not be possible without the platform. Thus, a digital platform, a medium, is an extension of the human (McLuhan 2) by extending the human with new possibilities for connecting, sharing, creating and expressing that were not possible without the digital platform.
For this study, the platforms Instagram and Twitter are selected to explore how digital platforms enable hashtag activism. The #ShoutYourAbortion movement as well as the users who participate by using the hashtag #ShoutYourAbortion are active on both platforms. The platforms share some mutual elements, such as the hashtag, however, these mutual elements function differently on each platform. Each platform has its own platform vernacular, this shapes the use of the platform as well as the content on the platform. The next section continue will further explain the development of the hashtag, hashtag activism, digital feminism and will shed some light on the #ShoutYourAbortion movement throughout the years.
III. #ShoutYourAbortion & online activism 3.1 Social network sites
Social media have become ubiquitous in modern society (Kamal et. al 3184). From daily tasks such as setting the alarm, checking the weather to discussing political subjects and organizing events: it can all be done through social media. Online activist movements, such as #ShoutYourAbortion, would – naturally – not exist without social media. Through the affordances of different social media, online activist movements can organize, reach and spread their message across borders, nations and time zones.
Social media are not easily defined. There are several social media platforms, with different features and functions, used for different purposes. Generally, social media can be described as a set of online tools that support social interaction between users (Hansen et. al 12). The support of dialog, connection and interaction between users is a significant difference between social media and the more traditional media, such as television and radio. As mentioned earlier, the ways of connecting users can differ per social media system. Social media mediate and enable the interaction between users, hence have an influence on the connection (Ibid.). Through social media many people and communities are becoming aware of the power of their voice in the media and ways of expressing themselves (Lambert 4). It allows for different narrative opportunities that are provided by written or oral medium alone (Anderson & Mack 3). Social network sites are a genre within social media and can be described as virtual collections of profiles which can be shared with other people (Hughes et. al 561), a web-based service which allows people to create a (semi)public profile, composes a list of users with whom they share a connection and view and pass through those list of themselves and others (Ellison 211). Users of social network sites may interact with different groups, or communities, online (Boyd & Ellison 15).
Digital platforms, such as social network sites, enable “a bridge from a movement to the public” (Veenstra et. al 90). The use of digital platforms allows online movement to reach a broader public. Moreover, digital platforms function as a tool for engagement and participation and thus are strengthening a network of weak ties without having to psychically be in touch (Ibid.). Thus, digital platforms are allowing online activist movements to reach certain people online and subsequently strengthen the relationship with and between these people online at the same time.
3.2 Storytelling for activism
Digital platforms enable individual stories as well as collective initiatives (Baer 18). Individual stories are conducted and shared by people to make sense of their experiences. People narrate themselves to express how they think of themselves and to form their identity (De Boer & Slatman 17). These narrative, stories, can contain experiences of emotional events. The sharing of emotional events with others is called social sharing (Chio & Toma 530). Social sharing online is a form of digital storytelling. This online social sharing contributes to the larger collective initiative of an activist movements as well as to the construction of a healthy, individual identity (Lambert 12). Digital platforms are enabling social sharing and social sharing subsequently enables the development of online activist movements. #ShoutYourAbortion is created for the need of spreading and sharing personal stories with a specific purpose: breaking the stigma of abortions. Although this storytelling will contribute to breaking the stigma, it also contributes to the mental health and wellbeing of the people who tell their story.
In order to study #ShoutYourAbortion on the different digital platforms, it is important to discuss what kind of research already has been done to hashtag activism and how this study will contribute to the field of digital platform studies and hashtags activism. Studies have explored the ways particular communication processes become intertwined with Instagram (Gibbs et. al 256). Gibbs et. al researched how the mourning on Instagram takes place through the #funeral (256). The main recommendation for further research is expanding the range of digital platforms for this subject (275). This study will take this recommendation into account by exploring not one, but two digital platforms. Moreover, this study will stand out by providing a case study of #ShoutYourAbortion, which has not been included in the field so far. The study of Jackson et al. also examines the use of a hashtag for activism. The case study for this research is the #GirlsLikeUs community. This community is a network created by the hashtag, which allowed trans women of colour for a space to discuss. Moreover, it discussed how Twitter was used for trans women to support and connect with another and at the same time functioned as a channel for spreading their messages to a broad audience (Jackson et. al 17). Results of the study show how the #GirlsLikeUs connects with each other on everyday experiences, advocate for rights and discuss trans issues and celebrate accomplishments of trans women (9). Although this study will follow Gibbs et. al and Jackson et. al by exploring the use of hashtags on Instagram and Twitter, it will take the next step by doing a cross-platform analysis and mapping
out the different uses and content on both platforms. Moreover, by exploring the affordances, different narratives of users and movement, this study sheds light on more than one side of the hashtag.
3.3 Origin of the hashtag
A hashtag can be described as a keyword linked to information and helps for searching for certain subjects on digital platforms (Small 873). Moreover, a hashtag organizes tweets surrounding a particular topic (879). In order to create or use a hashtag, the hash symbol (#) is typed followed by any string of alphanumeric characters (Bruns & Burgess 3). The idea of the hashtag came from an American technologist called Chris Messina in 2007 (16). He argued that formation of groups/channels based upon interests would be a more interesting way of using Twitter. At first, his idea of the “channel tag” did not get much attention but over time the practice of using hashtags in tweets became “embedded both in the social habits of the Twitter user community and in the architecture of the system itself (Bruns & Burgess 17). Nowadays, the hashtag feature is incorporated in most digital platform.
On Twitter, the hashtag has functioned as a tool for coordinating publics regarding multiple subjects; it has functioned as a tool for coordinating a discussion that is distributed between a large number of users (Bruns & Burgess 14) and for linking a tweet to certain known topic or theme (Bruns & Burgess 17). Hashtags can be used to participate into a certain hashtag conversation, however, sometimes users only use the hashtag to get more public exposure (19). Using hashtags in tweets “adds to a publicly visible body of data” (Sauter & Bruns 57). Furthermore, by tweeting with a hashtag, the user is contributing and participating in the construction of knowledge (Ibid.). Hashtags are also used to emphasize certain words in a tweet: by adding the hash symbol, the word is changed from black to a different colour. Additionally, hashtags are used for searching and indicating the certain tone of voice or expressing the user’s emotions (Ibid). For example, the meaning and intention of a tweet can be easily changed by adding #sarcasm or #justkidding to it.
As stated before, the network of users formed through the hashtag is different from the hashtag formed through the following/followed network (Bruns & Burgess 19). However, when one sends out a public tweet with a certain hashtag, the two networks overlap. The followers of the users as well as the followers of the hashtag can view this tweet. The network of users formed by the hashtag can be understood as an imagined community (Ibid.). This community does not exist in the physical world but is based upon one word, the hashtag. The people following this hashtag and the corresponding conversation are forming a community. Users can
be temporarily part of this community by using the hashtag and at the same time can include other users to this community by retweeting and adding the hashtag. Not all users are consciously using the hashtag to become part of the community. Most of them are adding a hashtag to discuss a certain topic (Sauter & Bruns 57).
On Twitter, communities and publics are formed around text, hashtags, on Instagram these communities are formed around “the rhetoric of the image” which are mostly described with the use of a hashtag (Olszanowski 237). The hashtag gives the image a meaning, because it shapes how the platform stores and spreads the image. Similar to Twitter, the hashtag on Instagram gives users the opportunity to find a community which has like-minded people with mutual interests (238). Moreover, users are participating in these communities to find support systems for their work. Using the hashtag for their content, their work, is a way of participating to the hashtag community. Another way of participating in the community is searching for others with certain hashtags (Ibid.). The hashtag allows for users to be found and to find others through old content. According to Olszanowski, the hashtag communities on Instagram are therefore formed through the past (238). As stated earlier, there are a couple of reasons for using hashtags on Instagram. Firstly, the hashtag is used for finding like-minded people (234). On Instagram a user can find others in two manners: by searching with usernames or searching with a hashtag. Secondly, finding inspiration in images posted by others with the hashtag. Thirdly, the hashtag allows users to participate in different hashtag challenges or contest. Lastly, the hashtag is used for archiving images (235). The archiving of images with the hashtags allows for the users to create a personal space which appears out in the public. This personal space shapes their online identity (237). Subsequently, hashtags on Instagram are also used for archiving images together with others (Ibid).
The hashtag on Instagram also holds another important function: “it anchors the networked image” (Olszanowski 237). Without the hashtag, images will not have the same meaning. It allows to read images in a certain way (Ibid.). According to Olszanowski’s study, hashtags allow for developing and maintaining specific ways of communicating and creates intimate publics on Instagram. These hashtag publics are seen as intimate, because the people within this public are sharing their personal ideas and thought about “their ways of being in the world” (232).
Thus, hashtags are serving two purposes on both Twitter and Instagram. Not only are they functioning as tools for linking the content (texts as well as images) to certain themes or topics, they are also used for coordinating publics. Users participate and contribute to the publics consciously or unconsciously by adding hashtags. Hashtag give content an extra
meaning and is read differently by others. Moreover, the content is gathered under certain themes or topics through the hashtag. For online activist movements, the different functions of the hashtag play a key role in their way of reaching and organizing. Hashtag perform as a tool for online activism.
3.4 Hashtag activism and digital feminism
Online protesting with the use of a hashtag is known as hashtag activism (Clark 788). The most influential hashtags activism campaigns are based on a sentence hashtag instead of a single word (Yang 14). When the activist movement is related to gender equity it is called hashtag feminism (Clark 788). Hashtag feminism displays the interaction between the collective and the individual by gathering individual stories to demonstrate the collective experience of inequality (Turley & Fisher 129). Using hashtags for responding in digital spaces is also known as ‘shouting back’. Social media campaigns such as #ShoutYourAbortion are using hashtags in order to make the campaigns accessible for a larger audience (Ibid.). Furthermore, the use of social media stimulates a collective feeling of support and compassion (Turley & Fisher 129). Digital platforms are often used by feminist movements (Turley & Fisher 128). By using these platforms, gender oppression can be made visible and at the same time gives feminist protest movements the opportunity to spread globally (Ibid.). Moreover, they are used by feminists for addressing experiences of sexism and misogyny on a daily basis and enable the possibility to react to one another (Ibid.). These platforms offer potential for distributing feminist ideas, shaping thoughts of gender and sexism and offer new ways of protesting (Baer 19).
Digital feminism represents a critical juncture in feminism in two ways. First, digital platforms are creating new ways and offer easily spreading consciousness regarding feminist issues. Second, it provides a space for feminists from different countries, origins, norms and values where they can learn from each other through conversation (Baer 18). The online sharing of personal stories and connecting through digital platforms is what separates hashtag feminism from earlier forms of feminism (Clark 789). The online sharing of personal stories is also known as digital storytelling and can be done for different reasons. As mentioned in former sections, it provides individuals the opportunity to develop personal identities, react to own experiences and become proactive in their lives (Anderson & Mack 11). It provides new insights, understanding of experiences and possibilities of change (Ibid.). Additionally, digital storytelling through social media enables new relationships, opportunities for advice and possibilities for individuals to define themselves (De Boer & Slatman 23, 24). For online activist movements the hashtag plays a key role in digital storytelling. It makes the spreading
of (personal) stories more efficient by providing a narrative focus (Clark 796). Without the hashtag, hashtag activism as well as the #ShoutYourAbortion movement would not exist. This shows how the use of technology has shaped activist movements by enabling a new form of activist movement. Especially for feminism, the use of technology has changed a lot. As states earlier, a critical juncture or turning point in feminism has occurred. The next section will explore this turning point but will first provide a general overview of feminism throughout the different waves.
It is impossible to define feminism as one movement with one vision. Feminism consists of different strand within the movement and each strand has its own focus points. However, one sentence which can sum up the key elements of feminism is written by bell hooks: “Feminism is a movement to end sexism, sexist exploitation, and oppression” (8). This study will follow this statement regarding feminism in general. The turning point of feminism is the shift from the third wave to the fourth wave. Many argue that the internet has enabled this shift (Munro 23). In order to describe the latter, it is important to first briefly discuss the first, second and third wave of feminism.
The first wave started in 1830 and lasted until the early 1900. The focus of this feminist wave was on gaining political power for women, such as the right to vote (Dorey-Stein n.p.). Moreover, this feminist wave focused on issues regarding sexual, reproductive and economic matters (Ibid.). During this wave, diverse forms of interventions were created which inspired later feminist movements (Krolokke & Sorensen 3). In the United States, the first wave was intertwined with other reform movements. The most active women in this wave were mostly white, middle-class well-educated women (4). However, the wave was also supported by Black women abolitionists (3). First wave feminism contains different strands such as a more liberal feminism and socialist/Marxist feminism (5). Nevertheless, all strands believed in equity and the equal rights for women as for men. The socialist feminists of the first wave gave the impetus for the second wave feminists, by fighting for the right to divorce, the right of having non-legislative relationships and the right for abortion (7).
The second wave took place during the sixties of the twentieth century (Dorey-Stein n.p.). This wave consisted of different movements such as the more radical feminists, who protested against the beauty culture, pageants and the idea that the looks of a woman are her most important feature (Krolokke & Sorensen 7). Alongside the radical feminists, there was the Women’s liberation, and the New Left movement. During this wave it was not about if someone was a feminist, but what kind of feminism that person identifies with (15). At the same time, Black power, lesbian and gay, and civil rights movements were also very active (8). The
multiple active movements and the differences between the feminist movements make it hard to grasp the second wave of feminism. However, an important contribution of the second wave feminists was the focus on research and the urgency to teach on women’s issues (15). This contribution ultimately led to the start of women’s, gender and feminist studies (Ibid.). The third wave emerged in the 1990s (Dorey-Stein n.p.). The women of this wave were born with the benefits the women of the earlier waves fought for (Krolokke & Sorensen 15). The focus of the third wave feminists was on the development of a feminist theory, the goal was to dismantle categorical thinking and subsequently respecting different identities and experiences (Ibid.). Moreover, third wave feminists dismiss the idea of unified goals and values (Looft 894).
The fourth wave of feminism was rising in the summer of 2013 (Cochrane n.p.). Women recognized the sexism and misogyny in their everyday lives and decided that it was time to ‘shout back’. Several campaigns, such as the Everyday Sexism, were started during this period (Cochrane n.p.). The internet has enabled people to take action against issues such as discrimination. Chamberlain agrees with the fourth wave starting point of Cochrane; however, she states it is harder to categories the fourth wave of feminism as compared to the earlier three waves (461). Technology, such as digital platforms, has changed feminism by changing the ways of communication between the feminists (Chamberlain 462). Through these platforms, individual incidents or initiatives are gaining more attention and reach more people. Furthermore, women are now able to document these individual incidents of bad treatment (Ibid.). Technology has changed a lot for feminism. Firstly, technology adds speed to feminism by spreading information quickly or starting petitions in a click. Secondly, local issues can now get global attention. Thirdly, technology has changed the relationship between feminists and non-feminists/misogynists. All three former waves have dealt with ‘backlash’ to their feminism, but the fourth wave feminists are the first who can directly engage with this backlash (Ibid.). The women of Shout Your Abortion can be seen as fourth wave feminists; hence they use social media for shouting back against the anti-abortion culture, and to discuss and raising awareness for abortion. These women also experience backlash; however, this backlash has been active for centuries. The discussion between supporters and opponents of abortion is known as the debate of pro-life versus pro-choice.
When one thinks of the abortion debate, the two options pro-life and pro-choice come quickly into mind. The abortion debate between pro-life, abortion opponents versus pro-choice, abortion rights activists has been going on for centuries offline, thus chances are that the two contrary positions will be also present online. The pro-life position argues that the every fetus
is a life and people should not get the opportunity to decide whether or not that life is valuable enough. Therefore, pro-life position advocates for abortion to the criminalized. Moreover, they focus on moral claims regarding the sanctity of life (Smith 121). Furthermore, according to the pro-life position, abortion threatens the primary identity of women as mothers, “devalues essential female’s traits or nurturance” and subsequently obstructs women’s ‘natural’ ties to children and family (Markens 15). Not only are the unborn children victims of abortions, also the women are victims of abortion. According to new narratives of anti-abortion movements, women are now pressured to get an abortion instead of following their natural desire to become a mother (Ibid.). According to the pro-choice position, the choice of continuing a pregnancy or not can be only made by the women. Their main argument is that the woman should be able to control their own body (Smith 121). Moreover, women should be able to have an identity which is not based on motherhood (Markens 15). Arguments of the positions show how they not only disagree over the fetus, moreover, they have distinct views of women’s roles in society (Ibid.). The opponents of abortion view women as primarily mothers, while the abortion activist advocate for more than just that one identity. Multiple activist movements have committed themselves to one of the positions, online as well as offline. How online activist movements achieve change will be discussed in the next paragraph.
3.5 Discursive change
Most online activist movements are focussed on organisation around offline events, such as the Women’s March in 2017. Additionally, most researches regarding online activist movements are focussed on this offline aspect. However, the aspect of discursive change as a result of online movements should not be overlooked (Shaw 373). Online movements can produce offline results (Clark 791). This discursive change is the result of the development of discourse within these movements. Over time, the discourse of the movements drives the change of discursive boundaries of discussion. This leads to change what is possible for people to talk about (Shaw 382). Thus, online activist movements commence the possibility of discussing sensitive topics. Changing people’s mind about which topics can be discussed is not only the result of the discourse within online activist movements, also the platforms which are used by the movements are contributing to the shifting of boundaries. According to Shirky, social media offers the possibility for changing people’s mind. To change people’s minds mass media alone is not enough: it is a two-step process (Shirky 34). First, opinions are transmitted by media. Second, these opinions are then being repeated by friends, family members and other acquaintances. In the latter the political opinion is formed. The Internet and in particular social
media have had a significant impact on the second step (Ibid.). They allow people to share and spread their (conflicting) opinions privately as well as publicly (Ibid.).
Women who are publicly speaking up about their injustices through the use of the hashtag have the desire to change the reality (Atonakis-Nashif 102). By narrating their injustices, they are taking action and therefore should be seen as activists (Ibid.). Thus, by using social media, the women who contribute to the #ShoutYourAbortion movement are activist who are challenging and trying to change the mainstream discourse that abortion experiences cannot be discussed or shared.
3.6 Historical development of the movement
As mentioned in the introduction, this study chooses the #ShoutYourAbortion as topic due to several reasons. One of these reasons was the lack of study to the online feminist activism of #ShoutYourAbortion. On their website Shout Your Abortion is described as: “[…] [A] decentralized network of individuals talking about abortion on our own terms and creating space for others to do the same” (‘Shout Your Abortion’ n.p.). According to the website, shouting of abortion does not solely happen on social media, but is also displayed in art, outfits and zines (Ibid.). The slogan of Shout Your Abortion states “Abortion is normal. Our stories are ours to tell. This is not a debate”. The movement #ShoutYourAbortion is created in September 2015 for empowering people to tell their stories and the truth about their lives (‘About’ n.p.) Moreover, to create spaces for people where they are not silenced and shamed for their abortion. From the beginning in 2015, the hashtag is now used over 300.000 times (Ibid.). The website of Shout Your Abortion states that abortion access in the United States have been prohibited the past years, even though twenty-five percent of the Americans has had an abortion and seventy percent of the Americans supports abortion rights. According to Shout Your Abortion this is the results of anti-choice movements creating a culture where discussing abortions is impossible (Ibid.). In order to change this culture, stories must be shared to humanize the experience of abortion and hopefully spark compassion amongst others. Thus, the #ShoutYourAbortion is used for shouting back. Moreover, for creating a community and continuing the dialog about abortion with real experiences and voices (‘About’ n.p.). As mentioned in this section, discursive change can be achieved through online movements and that is the current goal of Shout Your Abortion. However, the movement is created almost three years ago. Therefore, this study will now provide a historical context of the course of the
movement throughout the years based upon the websites of #ShoutYourAbortion. In 20154, the movement described itself as “a network of voices to destigmatize abortion through dialogue”. The website did not include the abortion stories neither other ways of supporting the movement. In 20165 the movement started #TogetherForAbortion: an initiative for women to meet (offline) to talk about abortion in fifty states in America. Options for downloading protest material, such as posters and video’s, were made available on the website that year. Moreover, the movement “coordinated a series of installations to elevate the visibility of people who choose abortion”. In 20176, the movement changed their slogan to “abortion is normal. Our stories are ours to tell. This is not a debate”. The movement is described as “a decentralized network of individuals” talking about abortion on their own terms and creating space for others to do the same. Starting from 2017, the abortion stories of people were shared on the website. Although, when using the way back machine, the titles of the stories show up, but the links are unavailable to open, the stories can be found back on the current website by searching the titles.
Thus, movements such as #ShoutYourAbortion would not exist without the use of digital platforms. Using hashtags and implementing digital platforms for activist purposes shows a turning point for feminism by allowing individual stories and participation to be combined with collective initiatives. Moreover, it allows women to document and spread their everyday fights with sexism and misogyny in a way that was not possible before. The hashtag does not only allow for spreading content, it also links content to certain topics, coordinates publics and adds meaning to the content. Digital elements as the hashtag allow for women and movements to start discussing sensitive topics. This will shift the boundaries of discussing these topics. Online movements can have offline effects and that is exactly the purpose of why #ShoutYourAbortion was started: “our stories are ours to tell, this is not a debate”. The next section will highlight the affordances and features of the digital platforms used by #ShoutYourAbortion.
4 https://web.archive.org/web/20151119073400/https://shoutyourabortion.com 5 https://web.archive.org/web/20160111064743/http://shoutyourabortion.com:80/ 6 http://web.archive.org/web/20170425224457/https://shoutyourabortion.com/
IV. Affordances
This section will discuss the affordances of digital platforms Instagram and Twitter. The focus of Twitter was and remains the focus on sharing thoughts with others and interacting with people regarding certain issues. The focus of Instagram is more on the sharing and creating of visual content instead of the connecting with others.
4.1 Twitter: Microblogging
Digital platform Twitter 7was launched in 2006 and became popular two or three years after. Twitter can be described as a microblogging site where users can write textual updates (Marwick & Boyd 116). The posts used to have a maximum of 140 characters, but recently, Twitter has increased this maximum to 280. The platform encourages the user to tweet by asking “what’s happening?” (image 2).
Image 2: Screenshot of Tweet feature taken on 27-04-2018.
The interface of Twitter includes a timeline that contains all the posts of the followed users and a notification feature where all mentions and retweets are notified (https://twitter.com). The platform has the feature of private messages also known as direct messages or DM’s (Marwick & boyd 117), with this feature users can message each other privately instead of posting it on their timelines. Twitter also provides of which trends (image 3) or which accounts (image 4) are relevant to follow for the user.
Image 3: screenshot of relevant trends feature Image 4: screenshot of relevant accounts feature taken on 27-03-2018. https://twitter.com taken on 27-03-2018. https://twitter.com
When posting a textual update, the user can add hashtags and links or mention other accounts by using the ‘@’ sign. Furthermore, the user can comment, retweet or like other tweets (https://twitter.com). Retweeting means the user replicates an earlier posted tweet. This replicating does not necessarily mean the original tweet is not altered, users can enhance or change the original tweet without the consent of the user. The platform also has a search bar, where users as well as hashtags and words can be queried. The results of the search are showed in different categories. These categories are: top, most recent, persons, pictures, videos, news and broadcasts (https://twitter.com). When one enters the account of another user, the amount of tweets, followers, followed and likes are displayed (image 5).
Image 5: Screenshot of Twitter’s official account taken on 27-03-2018. https://twitter.com/Twitter
Whether the content is public or private depends on the privacy settings of the account. On the user’s profile, the date of birth is visible as well as the date the account was created. Moreover,
locations and websites can be added to the account as well as ‘lijsten’ (tr. lists) and ‘momenten’ (tr. Moments). Lists can be made to post and store certain tweets per category where users can subscribe to and moments can be created to store specific tweets. Users can easily register themselves and create a Twitter account. The only thing needed is an email address and a password. The accessibility as well as the features of easily spreading, retweeting and commenting on textual posts to an (unknown) large public shows how Twitter can be used for hashtag activism. Through features such as the hashtag, content can reach beyond borders and continents. Furthermore, by creating lists and people subscribing to these lists, online activist movements can easily update and inform their followers. Without any physical contact, connections are made, and ideas are exchanged between hundreds of thousands if not millions of people. These affordances are not native to Twitter; however, the platform allows for spreading textual updates in an unique and fast way by providing opportunities for hashtags to become trending. By doing so, hashtags used for activism can gain global attention. Additionally, activist movements can be easily searched and found through the hashtag. Furthermore, due to the character of Twitter, a hashtag activism movement can be started by one individual. With the platform, no big organizations or structures are needed. Thus, the platform allows for new and different ways of activism.
4.2 Instagram: Focus on visual content
Digital platform Instagram8 was launched in 2010 and by the end of that year, the platform already had one million users (Desreumax n.pag). Two years later, the platform was bought by Facebook (Upbin n.pag.). Instagram was developed for mobile devices to share images and videos (Gibbs et. al 258). Users can alter their photographs with different options and filters (Ibid.). This altering allows the user to create a unique look or feel to their content. Additionally, a description can be added to the image. The descriptions mostly contain one or more hashtags to reach a certain public and has no maximum of characters.
Image 6: Screenshot of timeline with stories Image 7: Screenshot of explore interface
taken on 27-03-2018. taken on 27-03-2018.
The interface of Instagram contains: a timeline with the posted content by followed users as well as sponsored ads (image 6), an explore interface that contains inspirational and relevant content unique per individual user based upon previous likes and follows (image 7), a feature for uploading content, an overview of all previous likes, follows and comments on one’s profile as well as an overview of the likes, follows and comments given by the followed users (image 8), and finally the Instagram profile with the posted content.
At the top of the timeline a range of ‘Instagram stories’ is displayed (image 6). These stories are images or videos uploaded by the followed users and can be watched up until 24 hours after uploading. The feature of inspirational and relevant content also contains stories, however, all the content in this section is posted by people the user does not follow yet. Thus, the stories and content on the timeline is from people the user already follows, while the stories and content on the explore interface is from people the user does not have an online connection with.
Image 8: Screenshot of followed users’ online behaviour Image 9: Screenshot of search bar taken on 27-03-2018.
taken on 27-03-2018.
The explore interface also has a search bar implemented where people, words, tags and places can be searched (image 9). Every account on Instagram as well as individual hashtags function as a way of archiving content. Every Instagram account archives its own content, while hashtags gather and archive all content that includes a hashtag from different accounts. Through hashtags, users can find likeminded people and communities can be created by using the same hashtags for every post. Instagram allows users to add multiple chains of hashtags to one single post. This results in the post being stored under many hashtag and thus will eventually will reach a bigger public. The interface of Instagram enables and supports hashtag activism by providing the options for spreading visual content and messages through different hashtags.
By exploring the affordances of the platforms, the differences and similarities become clear. While Twitter is more organized around text and Instagram more on visual content, they both share the feature of the hashtag. On Twitter, hashtags can become trending topics and can be used to join a conversation regarding a specific topic. On Instagram, hashtags are used for
archiving and collecting content, as well as finding and searching for interesting content. The next section will demonstrate how the affordances of the platforms influence the use and content by analysing the user-generated content on Instagram and Twitter of #ShoutYourAbortion.
V. #ShoutYourAbortion users’ stories 5.1 Twitter: user-generated content analysis
This section is dedicated to the analysis of the user-generated content of Twitter9. First, the categories will be briefly described, followed by the analysis of the results. As mentioned earlier, the time period for the user-generated content will be from the first of February until the first of March. The option for most recent tweets is selected on the platform. The query for #ShoutYourAbortion within resulted in 65 tweets in total. The tweets are sorted in the following categories: supporting, encouraging, announcing and resisting. Due to the multiple functions of the tweets, some may be categorised in more than one category.
The category supporting will contain tweets where accounts show their appreciation or love for others. This includes women being thanked by one another or where the movement of #ShoutYourAbortion is being appreciated. The encouraging category is for the tweets that encourages people to speak up about their abortion, whether this is online or offline. Announcing contains the announcements of different things regarding abortion. This can be announcing the dates of events, the launch of clothing lines or announcing certain articles in magazines. Resisting is the category that contains the tweets that resist the idea and procedures of abortion. This category is for the people who are against #ShoutYourAbortion and abortions in general. Additionally, some of the tweets do not have a connection with abortion but are shown in the results because the user mentioned the hashtag to gain a broader reach. This section will now continue with the analysis of the user-generated content. The analysis of the user-generated content will not be discussed per category, but the categories will be combined into three narratives. These narratives include the most significant findings and explore how #ShoutYourAbortion is applied by the users of Twitter. Moreover, how Twitter enables hashtag activism for her users.
5.1.1 Personal supporting and encouragement
The first narrative is providing personal motivational support and encouragement. Showing support and encouragement through the #ShoutYourAbortion is done in various ways by different actors. Personal as well as non-personal accounts support abortions in general, support the movement of #ShoutYourAbortion and support individuals. For example, supporting abortions in general is done by a personal account stating: “Your life belongs to nobody but you; don’t ever let someone make you feel any other way. Your body, your life, your choice.
#ShoutYourabortion”. This tweet is supporting the choice for abortion but is not directed at someone in particular. Similar tweets are posted by non-personal accounts, such as10: “My health. My education. My future. My body. My choice. #Shoutyourabortion”. The main difference between the former and the latter, is the purpose of the account. While the first statement is made by a personal account which mentions the debate surrounding abortion once, the second statement is made by a non-personal account that is completely dedicated to the topic of abortion. Additionally, support is showed directly to people who share their story (image 10), as well as showing support to the movement of #ShoutYourAbortion: “#ShoutYourAbortion is not all about the stories. But to share the awareness and support women. No more the secrets […]”.
Image 10: Screenshot of personal account taken on 1-04-2018.
The narrative of motivational support occurs mostly through personal accounts. These accounts do not frequently post content for #ShoutYourAbortion but appear only once in the dataset. Thus, the motivational support through personal accounts is a common narrative that is carried out by different individuals. This narrative shows how Twitter enables hashtag activism by providing a platform for people to speak their minds and support each other. The connection between users can be a one-time occurring connection, however, they are part of the #ShoutYourAbortion movement. The tweet of image 10 is the example of how hashtag activism works on Twitter. One individual shares her story about her abortion and another shows her the support and appreciation for her going through the procedure and sharing it online. Without the platform, these people would never have interacted with each other, and if they had, other people would not have been able to view this. Thus, Twitter does not only enable connections between strangers and creates online spaces for speaking about taboos, but also creates a space where others can read and be part of the process and perhaps be inspired.
Another way of how support is showed on Twitter is through encouraging. This encouraging on Twitter is mostly dedicated to taking action or encouraging certain behaviour online and offline. An example of supporting through encouragement is shows in the following image (image 11).
Image 11: screenshot of personal account taken on 4-04-2018.
With this tweet, certain online behaviour is encouraged. This person wants others to add and retweet content with the purpose of fighting against the alternative facts presented by opponents of abortion. She encourages people to take action, and while doing so, she is fighting for and supporting abortion in general. Similar to this tweet, is the tweet encouraging that everyone should follow @OliveMercies because she shares “important stories about #reproductiverights and #abortion – stories that are important to hear”. By encouraging users to follow Olive Mercies, this tweet provides a bigger audience for Olive Mercies. Thus, the stories Mercies shares about abortion and reproductive rights will therefore reach and educate more people. This will serve the purpose of creating more knowledge about abortion, while breaking the stigma surrounding abortion by speaking openly about it. The user does not only support Olive mercies by encouraging, moreover, she supports breaking the stigma surrounding abortion. The opportunity for people to exchange, spread their knowledge online without face-to-face contact and possibilities to support each other in new ways is another way of Twitter enabling hashtag activism. Through Twitter, people can spread their opinions and statements quick and easily, and the platform supports this by providing multiple ways of spreading such as hashtags and trending topics.
