PT Journal
AU Valkovicova, V
   Madarova, Z
TI The Practices and Subjects of Feminist Digital Activism: Experiences from  Slovakia and Czechia
SO Gender a vyzkum / Gender and Research
PY 2025
BP 59
EP 84
VL 26
IS 1
DI 10.13060/gav.2025.007
DE digital activism; gender-based violence; Instagram; networked publics; connec-tive action
AB This study explores the developments of digital feminist activism in Slovakia and Czechia amidst rising anti-gender rhetoric and anti-NGOism. In the climate of polit-ical change over the past five years, women in both countries began using Instagram to raise awareness of gender-based violence, harassment, and sexism. Through interviews with digital activists, this research examines the online dynamics of these networked publics. It analyses activists' strategies for navigating public/private boundaries and balancing individual and collective efforts in a corporate-controlled online space. Despite the challenges posed by Instagram's influencer-driven structure, these activists use the platform to engage in feminist awareness-raising and advocacy. This study contributes to the scholarship on digital feminist movements by highlighting the potential and limitations of social media to foster new forms of feminist praxis in a hostile political environment.
ER