Social Media Assignment

Public Relations Review 41 (2015) 308–310

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Public Relations Review

Research in Brief

Gender and politics: Patriarchal discourse on social media

Kamil Demirhan a,∗, Derya Ç akır-Demirhan b

a Hacettepe University, Department of Political Science and Public Administration, Turkey b Bülent Ecevit University, Turkey

a r t i c l e i n f o

Article history: Received 26 July 2014 Received in revised form 14 November 2014 Accepted 20 November 2014

Keywords: Gender Politics Social media Twitter

a b s t r a c t

Social media is an alternative communication space embedded with opportunities for free and equal participation. However, it perpetuates the dominant discourses on society. This study researches on a Twitter case explaining the production of patriarchal discourse on women with the help of tweets under the hashtag; “a woman has to be”. This study supports the idea that social media needs the dynamism of alternative digital publics and alternative discourses to challenge the dominant power relations as well as improving democracy.

© 2014 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

1. Gender, politics and Twitter

Social media is not a truly alternative and free communication area improving democracy. It encourages the hegemonic discourses and traditional power relations in society. Nevertheless, it has a potential to challenge the dominant discourses with the help of online dynamism of alternative publics. This study aims to be an alternative approach focusing on both positive and negative effects of social media on politics. It regards social media as a neutral channel in contrast to techno- determinism. Twitter is usually explained as a new public sphere and an alternative communication area (Pérez-Latre, Portilla, & Blanco, 2011). It is widely accepted that Twitter has a number of positive effects on developing freedom, equality and democracy. It is possible to claim that Twitter affects power relations in terms of both extending the hegemony of dominant power and encouraging opposition to the hegemony. Since Twitter is used for the dissemination of views, it can generate discourses which can be functional for not only dominant powers but opponent struggles as well.

Discourses produce and reproduce power relations in society (van Dijk, 2001). These discourses also build social positions giving meaningful explanations to individuals about their lives (Laclau & Mouffe, 2001). Gender studies suggest that social roles grounded on differences between men and women are socially constructed. Scott (1988:2) claims that “gender is the social organization of sexual difference. . . .. gender is the knowledge that establishes meanings for bodily differences”.

Patriarchal discourse determines social, economic, political and physical being of women (Kandiyotti, 2007). Our case on patriarchal discourse on Twitter helps to explain social media’s contribution to strengthen the dominant roles and to create discursive gap due to the absence of alternative publics on Twitter.

∗ Corresponding author at: Hacettepe Üniversitesi, Siyaset Bilimi ve Kamu Yönetimi Bölümü, Beytepe 06800, Ankara, Turkey. Tel.: +90 312 297 8725x117. E-mail addresses: [email protected], [email protected] (K. Demirhan), [email protected] (D. Ç akır-Demirhan).

http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.pubrev.2014.11.010 0363-8111/© 2014 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

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K. Demirhan, D. Ç akır-Demirhan / Public Relations Review 41 (2015) 308–310 309

. Methods and data

Twitter is used to access public discussions while stereotyping women. Tweets under the hashtag of #BirKadındaMutlaka” (which means a woman has to be) are used as data. Tweets were collected on 13th and 14th November, 013 when the hashtag listed in trending topics in Turkey. The number of tweets is 2337. However, only the 636 of them ave original opinions about the topic and contain the words a woman “has to be” or “must not be”. The contents of tweets re analyzed by means of the content categories determined by the help of literature on the social roles of women in Turkish ociety (Özman, 2010). Tweets are evaluated in terms of their contribution to the patriarchal discourse in relation to women aintaining, producing and re-producing inequality and injustice between men and women, and the disadvantaged position

f women in society. In this study, the patriarchal discourse is classified into four basic categories. First one is the definition of domestic roles

or women (being good wife, mother and housekeeper). Second one is the definition of professional roles for women (having n occupation, earning for family, having pink-collar jobs, being well educated and skilled, having intellectual capacity). The hird one is the definition of physical beauty for women (being beautiful, strong, keeping healthy, having a good appearance nd attraction, good clothing). Fourth one is the definition of moral values for women (being good, faithful, respectful, evoted, modest, and mature).

. Findings

Findings show that 81.60% of all tweets match with the above mentioned categories. They contribute to the patriarchal iscourse. 12.26% of all tweets do not match with the categories but they contain views about the being, nature and character f women. Thus, it is possible to claim that they strengthen this discourse. As a result, 93.86% of all tweets contribute to the atriarchal discourse. Our findings present that only 6.13% of all tweets have potential to develop an alternative discourse gainst the patriarchal one.

The proportion of tweets encouraging patriarchal discourse is summarized as four basic respects. Firstly, 10.84% of all weets supporting patriarchal discourse match with the category about the definition of domestic roles for women. People osted to the hashtag claim that a woman has to be a good wife (4.24%), a good mother (1.57%) and a good housekeeper 5.03%). For example, a user says that “A woman has to realize the mission of making her husband and her children happy”.

Secondly, 6.76% of tweets match with the category on the definition of professional roles for women. It is written in the ashtag that a woman has to have an occupation (0.31%), earn for family (0.15%), be well educated and skilled (3.61%), and ave an intellectual capacity (2.67%). For example, a user tweeted that “A woman has to be well educated, enlightened and ave a prestigious job”.

Thirdly, 26.57% of the tweets match with categories about the definition physical beauty and features for women. People osted tweets supporting the idea that a woman has to be beautiful (9.27%), strong (2.51%), healthy (1.25%), to have a good ppearance and being attractive (11%), and being well-dressed (2.51%). For example, a user claims that “A woman has to be ot only beautiful but also presentable and attractive”.

Fourthly, 37.42% of the tweets supporting patriarchal discourse match with the categories on the definition of moral alues for women. People who tweeted think that a woman has to be good (9.27%), faithful (15.56%), respectful to social alues and national symbols (1.41%), devoted (2.83%), modest (6.91%), and mature (1.41%). For example, a user insists that A woman has to be faithful, honest, religious, respectful, devoted . . ..”.

The 12.26% of all tweets do not say anything about “a woman has to be” and do not match with our categories but claim pinions about the being, nature and character of women. In these tweets, women are explained as irrational, vengeful, retentious, gossiper, romantic, shrewd, emotional, jealous. They carry the idea that women always love shopping, talk ore; need attention, and do make up. This idea contributes to the patriarchal discourse stereotyping women. It is important

o note that 5.03% of all tweets criticize patriarchal discourse and the topic of hashtag. For example, a user tweets that “Do not e so stupid as to mention the topic; a woman has to be”. 1.10% of all tweets have alternative views and potentials to challenge he hegemonic discourse. For example, a user says that “A woman has to be a feminist at least to an extent to challenge the atriarchy”. In general, 6.13% of all tweets carry ideas against the patriarchal discourse and these ideas encourage opposition o the hegemonic discourse.

. Conclusion

In this case, tweets contribute to the patriarchal discourse on women. Most of the tweets focus on the moral values for omen and on physical beauty. It is easy to observe that domestic responsibilities are also important for people. All these

iews contain symbols of patriarchal discourse, disseminate on Twitter, produce and re-produce knowledge on women oles. Furthermore, the low opposition level indicates the absence of alternative discourses.

This study deals with the contribution of Twitter to patriarchal discourse. Its main claim is that the democratic effect of

witter as the one increasing free and equal participation is not a direct outcome. When it is regarded as a neutral channel, t can be claimed that it is open to both possibilities that extending the hegemony of dominant power, and encouraging pposition against hegemony. The important question here is to what degree alternative publics are present on social edia.

310 K. Demirhan, D. Ç akır-Demirhan / Public Relations Review 41 (2015) 308–310

Our case shows that the possibility to challenge the patriarchal discourse on Twitter is impossible without the alternative digital publics. Social media can provide a new public sphere but this is not enough for a challenge. In conclusion, it is possible to claim that Twitter perpetuates the patriarchal discourse on social roles of women. This process does not consist of any deliberation or rational process. What is central in this process is the limited number of alternative views to produce alternative discourses.

References

Kandiyotti, D. (2007). Cariyeler, Bacılar, Yurttaş lar. İstanbul: Metis Yayınları. Laclau, E., & Mouffe, C. (2001). Hegemony and socialist strategy: Towards a radical democratic politics. USA: Verso. Özman, A. (2010). The image of woman in Turkish political and social thought: On the implications of social constructionism and biological essentialism.

Turkish Studies, 11(3), 445–464. Pérez-Latre, F. J., Portilla, I., & Blanco, C. S. (2011). Social networks, media and audiences: A literature review. Communication and Society, 1(24), 63–74. Scott, J. W. (1988). Gender and politics of history. New York: Colombia University Press. van Dijk, T. A. (2001). Critical discourse analysis. In D. Schiffrin, D. Tannen, & H. E. Hamilton (Eds.), The handbook of discourse analysis (pp. 349–371). UK:

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