The rise of social media and the construction of gender and sexuality norms

2023 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 19K12616
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C)
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Section: 一般
• Review Section: Basic Section 80030:Gender studies-related
• Research Institution: Meiji University
• Principal Investigator: Tanaka Hiromi 明治大学, 情報コミュニケーション学部, 専任准教授 (70611739)
• Project Period (FY): 2019-04-01 – 2024-03-31
• Keywords: ジェンダー / メディア / ソーシャルメディア / デジタル技術 / 人工知能

Outline of Final Research Achievements

This study examined which opportunities and risks have emerged from a new media ecology involving social media. It also aimed to reconstruct gender and media studies which have long developed with a strong focus on traditional mass media. The study focused on (1) digital activism such as #MeToo and a formation of critical discursive spaces on social media and (2) women's visibility practices on social media, particularly their self-representational practices and subjectivities. It revealed that social media is ambivalent in its effect: while it contributes to empowerment of marginalized groups such as women and minorities by giving them "voice" and increasing their visibility, it facilitates violence and harms against them. The study stresses the importance of elaborating social media literacy and promoting more dialogues and collaboration among various stakeholders including platform companies.

Free Research Field

社会学、ジェンダー研究、メディア研究

Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements

本研究は、ソーシャルメディアという急速に普及した新たなメディアに焦点を当て、そのジェンダー分析を行い、従来のジェンダーとメディア研究を再構築するモノである。もはや日常生活において不可欠となったソーシャルメディアを理解し、それにまつわる問題解決を考える上で有益な知見を提供している。