The #MeToo movement has been mentioned in academic discourse as an effective online campaign that became widely spread and was covered extensively in the news media worldwide. When referring to this campaign, Internet researchers highlight the powerful role of social media platforms in activism in the digital age and many scholars talk about this campaign in this context. However, there is a very limited discourse about the fact that women are the leading figures behind this successful campaign or about their distinctive use of and related experience in the online public sphere. In fact, academic discourse has rarely put forward the topic of women activists and their use of social media.
Why is it so important to place this issue at the focus of research? First of all, because the field of politics and extra-parliamentary politics is known as an extremely male-oriented/dominated sphere in which women are forced to struggle to successfully promote themselves and their agendas. Secondly, women’s organizations have unique features, specifically related to the way they run their organizations and operations, which often are more democratic and egalitarian. Thirdly, saliency and reliable representation in public discourse is a challenge, not only for women’s groups but also for all minority groups. The Internet may constitute an alternative, possibly more egalitarian, communications platform.
