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ABSTRACT
As conversations around carceral responses to sexual violence intensify, this study investigates the phenomenon of carceral feminism on Twitter. In adopting a feminist abolitionist perspective, we looked at Twitter debates and elaborated a discursive continuum that not only reflects a polarization among supporters and opponents of carceral feminism but also acknowledges users’ tensions in reconciling with not being completely pro- or anti-carceral in cases of sexual violence. While unveiling transphobic, racist, and sexist language amongst carceral feminists, our results also show a lack of conversations around tangible solutions to cases of sexual violence. These conversational absences enable users at both ends of the discursive continuum and across it to focus on theoretical and hypothetical moral stances, rather than practical examples and solutions. Thus, this paper concludes with a call to action for both abolitionists and carceral feminists to engage in constructive discussions and provide stronger, practical alternative solutions to the issue of sexual violence.
Disclosure statement
No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).
Notes
1. As of 2019, RAINN reports that an approximation of only 310 out of every 1,000 sexual assaults are reported to the police for lack of trust in the authorities; that only 50 cases will lead to arrest; 28 will lead to a felony conviction; and that only 25 perpetrators will be incarcerated (RAINN).
2. The Association of Internet Researchers remains flexible about issues of anonymity for cases of big data (>20 subjects) accessed through the API (franzke, aline shakti, Bechmann, Anja, Zimmer, Michael, Ess, Charles and the Association of Internet Researchers Citation2020, 10–11). In addition, the X API Developer agreement we obtained for the data collection allows us to use publicly available data, such as Tweets’ content, for non-commercial use (X Development Platform Citation2023).
3. According to feminist social media influencer Rayne Fisher-Quann, people who create these online registries of sexual misconduct arbitrarily decide who qualifies as a perpetrator and what qualifies as sexual misconduct, potentially causing more harm than actual prevention, particularly as these lists often exist on social media.
Additional information
Notes on contributors
Dacia Pajé
Dacia Pajé, M.A., is an A.B.D. in the Communication, Culture and Media (CCM) Department at Drexel University. Her research focuses on the construction and reception of sexual violence in TV series and movies and their influence on and intersection with legal settings, the law, and sociocultural movements. She also does research on mediated feminism, and K-pop fandoms. Email: [email protected]
Janna MacPherson
Janna MacPherson, M.S., is a PhD Candidate in the Communication, Culture and Media (CCM) Department at Drexel University. Janna’s research interests include social media’s influences on understandings of crime, criminality, and surveillance, the privatization of security, and (media) discourses regarding crime, carcerality, and justice. Email: [email protected]
Sienna Medina
Sienna Medina, M.S., is a second-year PhD student in the Communication, Culture and Media (CCM) Department at Drexel University. Her research focuses on mediated depictions of (anti-)feminist discourse, particularly as it relates to popular culture, identity formation, and psychosexual health. Email: [email protected]