#8M WOMEN’S STRIKES IN SPAIN: FOLLOWING THE UNPRECEDENTED
SOCIAL MOBILIZATION THROUGH TWITTER
Nahia Idoiaga Mond agon(1), Naia a Be asa egi Sancho(2), & Mai ane Belasko
Txe udi(2)
(1) Depa men o E olu iona y and Educa ional Psychology, Uni e si y o he Basque
Coun y UPV/EHU, Spain
(2) Depa men Didac ics and School O ganisa ion, Uni e si y o he Basque Coun y
UPV/EHU, Spain.
Nahia Idoiaga Mond agon: [email p o ec ed]; h ps://o cid.o g/0000-0003-0345-
8570
Naia a Be asa egi Sancho: [email p o ec ed]; h ps://o cid.o g/0000-0003-
1775-3431
Mai ane Belasko Txe udi: [email p o ec ed]; h ps://o cid.o g/0000-0002-
9711-2169
The i s gene al women’s s ikes o demand gende equali y in Spain ook
place on Ma ch 8, 2018 and 2019. Bo h calls we e an amazing success,
becoming wo ld e e ences o eminism. This esea ch in es iga es how
he s ikes we e deal wi h h ough Twi e by a Collec i e Symbolic
Coping (CSC) p ocess. Discou ses on Twi e we e analyzed on bo h
yea s, 4,384 wee s we e selec ed and hei con en was analyzed by lexical
analysis. The esul s om 2018 indica ed he CSC phases o 1)awa eness;
2)di e gence, whe e eminis demands and he ole o men in he s ike
we e deba ed; and 3)con e gence, whe e he success o he s ike was
highligh ed. Howe e , in 2019 he eminis s on Twi e we e o ced o
cope wi h a g ea deal o olling agains hem and he s ike. This olling
was main ained in he awa eness and di e gence phases, making i
Idoiaga Mond agon, N., Be asa egi Sancho, N., Beloki A iz i, N., & Belasko Txe udi, M. (2021). #8M women’s s ikes in Spain:
ollowing he unp eceden ed social mobiliza ion h ough wi e . Jou nal o Gende S udies, 31(5), 639–653. This is an
Accep ed Manusc ip o an a icle published by Taylo & F ancis in Jou nal o Gende S udies on 15 Ma 2021, a ailable a :
h ps://doi.o g/10.1080/09589236.2021.1881461. I is deposi ed unde he e ms o he C ea i e Commons A ibu ion-
NonComme cial-NoDe i a i es License (h p://c ea i ecommons.o g/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/), which pe mi s non-comme cial e-
use, dis ibu ion, and ep oduc ion in any medium, p o ided he o iginal wo k is p ope ly ci ed, and is no al e ed, ans o med, o
buil upon in any way.
di icul o each a con e gen discou se ega ding he success o he
s ike. Mo eo e , he esul s also demons a ed ha he e was no e e ence
hash ag in he s ikes. I is concluded ha discou se on social ne wo ks has
become a key ac o in eminis social mobiliza ions and ha his eminis
digi al ac i ism will be c i ical in he con inued dissemina ion o he
claims o gende equali y in Spain.
Keywo ds: collec i e symbolic coping; digi al ac i ism; eminism; social
mobiliza ion; social psychology; olling; Twi e .
In oduc ion
In Spain, on Ma ch 8, 2018, he eminis mo emen called, o he i s ime, a women´s
s ike. Unde he slogan 'I we s op, he wo ld s ops' i was no a ypical day o s ike
ac ion since no only we e he women asked o no go o wo k, bu also o e ain om
ca ying ou o he ac i i ies such as ca e wo k, a ending classes, o buying/consuming
any hing. In ac , hey we e asked o no ca y ou any o hei daily asks, ei he paid o
unpaid. Thus, he s ike was no only ocused on he p o essional o wo k sphe e bu
also on amily and social ma e s, and as ancho ed in a g owing consciousness o he
s a e o inequali y in which women li e (Ga cía, Alabao, & Pé ez, 2018). The demands
o he s ike ook shape in e ms o wo kloads, p eca ious jobs (sala y gap, glass
ceiling), esponsibili y o ca e, amily concilia ion and in he sexualiza ion and
objec i ica ion o women’s bodies, which is a cause o iolence agains women (Ga cía,
Alabao, & Pé ez, 2018).
I is ue ha , depending on he main unions in each egion, in some places,
women s opped o a ew hou s whils in o he s, hey engaged in a ull day o s ike
ac ion. Be ha as i may, he esponse was colossal, wi h he pa icipa ion o mo e han
6 million women (La Vangua dia, 2018). Demons a ions o a ound one million people
we e ca ied ou in Mad id; 600,000 in Ba celona and mo e han 130,000 in Bilbao
(G odi a, Bo ás, Cela, & Albin 2018). And, pe haps, e en mo e impo an ly, women
ook o e he en i e public sphe e (Campillo, 2018).
Bo h he media (na ional and in e na ional) and he public, we e su p ised by his
success, which was unexpec ed and un o eseen, since unlike he eminis mo emen in
he USA and o he Anglo-Saxon coun ies, he Spanish eminis mo emen is ba ely
ins i u ionalized and lacks a signi ican s uc u e, unding, and ull- ime ep esen a i es
(Campillo, 2018). The s ike became a ending issue and all poli ical pa ies had o
ake a posi ion on he eminis s ike, which con ibu ed o making i an e en o
na ional impo ance. The Conse a i es, who uled he coun y in 2018, we e he only
ones o oppose he s ike a i s bu e en hey adjus ed hei posi ion by appea ing wi h
he pu ple ibbon on Ma ch 8 (Ga cía, Alabao, & Pé ez, 2018).
In 2019, he eminis mo emen again called an employmen , consump ion, and
ca e wo ks s ike. This ime, he call was mos ly o a 24-hou gene al s ike. The
ollow-up o he s ike was e en mo e ex ensi e han he p e ious yea , making Spain a
wo ld e e ence poin o he 8M p o es s. The mo emen s o ha yea we e
cha ac e ized by a push among he young people, pa icula ly s uden s, who made he
demons a ions isible (A aüna, To ajada, & Figue as-Maz, 2019). These mo emen s
we e also cha ac e ized by he suppo o p og essi e pa ies ha we e go e ning in
Spain in 2019 ( o example o he 17 minis e s, he 11 women minis e s wen on s ike,
which se an his o ical eco d) and he opposi ion o conse a i e poli ical pa ies, wi h
a new ul a- igh pa y launching pa icula ly ha sh a acks agains he s ike and he
eminis mo emen (Gomez, 2019).
Li e a u e Re iew
In his pape , public knowledge ega ding he 8 h Ma ch Feminis S ikes in Spain will
be analyzed acco ding o he heo y o Collec i e Symbolic Coping (CSC) (Wagne ,
K onbe ge , & Sei e , 2002). This heo y explains how he g oup gi es meaning o
no el si ua ions ha h ea en he es ablished social o de , as in he case o hese s ikes.
CSC emphasizes ha he social communica ion abou a new issue — such as hose ha
eme ge in social ne wo ks like Twi e — allows people o ace he challenge ha his
no el y poses (Au ho , e al. 2019; O , Sagi, & Ba -On, 2000; Wagne , 1998). In ac ,
social ne wo k communica ion o e s us a na u alis ic se ing, since on hese pla o ms
opinions a e openly and spon aneously discussed in eal ime (S ubbs-Richa dson,
Rade , & Cosby, 2018). Mo eo e , ne wo ks such as Twi e show socie al pa e ns
(Bae , 2016) and also allow indi iduals o in luence o he s in a eadily a ailable public
se ing (Wes e man, Spence, & Van De Heide, 2014). Fu he , h ough his mains eam
medium news can be e amed o public consump ion (Mu hy, 2010; Wes e man,
Spence, & Van De Heide, 2014).
This CSC p ocess, howe e , mus comply wi h ce ain phases i i is o e ame
social ep esen a ions (Wagne , K onbe ge , & Sei e , 2002). These phases a e; (1)
Awa eness, ha is, he e en mus be conside ed impo an o socie y; (2) Di e gence,
whe e di e en in e p e a ions o he e en eme ge, c ea ing ambigui y and con usion;
(3) Con e gence, whe e he g oup eaches a pac o build a new in e p e a ion ha is
accep ed by all; and (4) No maliza ion, whe e he explana ion o he new e en is
in eg a ed in o common knowledge and hus becomes amilia .
Mo eo e , bo h academics and he p ess ha e poin ed ou ha pa o he success
o hese 8M Feminis S ikes lies in hei his o ical and communica i e
con ex ualiza ion. In o he wo ds, in he b oad cycle o social mobiliza ion a a na ional
and ansna ional le el ha has occu ed in ecen yea s and in he use o digi al space as
a ca alys o collec i e ac ions (Campillo, 2018; Ca doso, Boud eau, & Ca alho, 2013;
Sosa, Gala za, & Cas o-Ma inez, 2019; Ky iakidou & Oli as-Osuna, 2017; Sanchez,
2018).
A a na ional le el, ha is, in Spain, he cycle o p o es s began in 2011 wi h he
15M mo emen , which managed o channel he social un es c ea ed by he wo sening
economic c isis and aus e i y policies. These p o es s we e, in a sense, he s a ing poin
o making eminis s ikes possible (Campillo, 2018; Ceb e io, 2018; Galdón, 2018;
Sosa, Gala za, & Cas o-Ma inez, 2019). This is because i s ly, hey con ibu ed
owa ds he o ganiza ion o eminis ac i is s, claiming om he 15M ha " he
e olu ion would be eminis o i wouldn' be" (Galdón, 2018; Ga cia-G enzne , 2014),
and secondly, because his p o es also made i possible o manage social he e ogenei y
unde an open-sou ce logic d i en by young "digi al na i es" ha a e pa icula ly isible
and ac i e h ough social ne wo ks (Galdón, 2018).
In addi ion, ano he miles one o eminis mobiliza ion a he na ional le el was
he gang ape known as "La Manada" ha occu ed in 2016 (Ceb e io, 2018). Wi h
g ea media epe cussions, his case lead o a wa e o eminis suppo and p o es s, no
only in he s ee s bu also (and pa icula ly) on social ne wo ks such as Twi e . These
p o es s gene a ed, on he one hand, a social ne wo k o mobiliza ion and, on he o he ,
a social conscience abou iolence agains women and he ape cul u e, which we e key
ac o s ha igge ed he call o he eminis s ikes (Campillo, 2018; Ga cía, Alabao,
& Pé ez 2018; Au ho , e al. 2019).
Indeed, a he ansna ional le el, social ne wo ks ha e been c ucial o he
pa icipa i e and collec i e ac ions ha eclaim social and poli ical change, such as, o
ins ance, in he up isings o Occupy Wall S ee (in 2011), he Umb ella Mo emen (in
2014) o he Yellow es s mo emen (in 2018) (Benne , Sege be g, & Walke , 2014;
Tye, Leong, Tan, Ba ney Tan, & Hooi, 2018; T emayne, 2014). Thus, ac i is g oups —
mos o hese using social media — ha e played a c ucial ole as key ac o s o
in luence s ha ha e se ed o deepen public discou se and calls o collec i e ac ion
(Xiong, Cho, & Boa w igh , 2019; Locke, Law hom, & Lyons, 2018).
In he same ein, eminis demands, mo emen s, and p o es s ha e also been
ans o med, in luenced, and shaped by digi al echnology and he ise o online
communica ion pla o ms (Be and, 2018; Dikwal-Bo , 2019; Xiong, Cho, &
Boa w igh , 2019). Th ough social ne wo ks, eminis mo emen s and ac i is s can
accele a e he exchange o ideas, help pa icipan s o es ablish p io i ies, and can
iden i y he issues and conce ns ha a e o he mos p ominence in con empo a y
eminism (C ossley, 2015). Mo eo e , digi al pla o ms ha e a wide each, acili a ing
mo e open engagemen wi h and p omo ion o eminism and eminis ideas (C ossley,
2015).
Wi hin eminis digi al ac i ism, he eminis hash ags a e he mos commonly
used me hod o build collec i e consciousness and o a icula e a social p o es ha
c ea es communi ies o eminis con e sa ions wi hin he digi al a ena (Ba ke -Plumme
& Ba ke -Plumme , 2017; Be idge & Po wood-S ace , 2015; Xiong, Cho, &
Boa w igh , 2019). Hash ag campaigns a e accessible o a la ge audience, immedia e
and easy o ack, and encou age a collec i e iden i y, sense o suppo , and empa hy
(Tu ley & Fishe , 2018; Ka ada, 2015). Consequen ly, success ul eminis hash ag
campaigns ha e been ca ied ou and s udied all o e he wo ld, such as, o example,
#YesAllWomen (Ba ke -Plumme & Ba ke -Plumme , 2017; Rodino-Colocino, 2014;
Th i , 2014) o #MeToo (Ka lsson, 2019; Mendes, Ring ose, & Kelle , 2018; Rodino-
Colocino, 2018; Tambe, 2018) among o he s.
Howe e , i is wo h no ing ha eminis digi al ac i ism also su e s om
in ense gende olling and online ha assmen (Sadowski, 2016; Phillips, 2015). These
olls o en sp ead misogynis a acks agains success ul eminis campaigns and e en
agains pa icula eminis s (Jane, 2016; Mendes, Ring ose, & Kelle ,2018; Powell &
Hen y, 2017). Thei goal is o dis up he eminis communi y and o make isible he
p esence o an i- eminism and sexism on social media, jus as hey a emp o do in
social li e (D üeke & Zobl, 2016).
The e ospec i es ha ha e been ca ied ou on he digi al eminis p ac ice in
Spain place i s concep ion a he end o he 1990s and beginning o 2000 wi h he
c ea ion o po als such as E-Leusis.ne o Muje es en Red (Nuñez, 2008). Howe e , in
hose beginnings he e was a deba e on how o app oach eminis ac i ism online, o by
si ua ing he p oblems o eminism in a new isible space such as he In e ne o by
mo ing he u opian spaces de ised by cybe eminism close o he social eali y o
women, be ing on hei sel -empowe men . Ne e heless, ha i s Spanish cybe p axis
e ealed a pe sis en desi e o in o m he i ual wo ld o emale agency and
subjec i i y (Fe nandez, Co edo , & San ín, 2011).
Two decades la e , eminis digi al ac i ism in Spain is a complex issue. I mus
be assumed ha al hough in Spain access o echnology seems o be equal, women
ep esen 51% o Facebook use s, 68% on Ins ag am and a e a sligh mino i y on
Twi e , men s ill ha e a g ea e ole and in luence (Me chán, 2014). In ac , i has been
ound ha women ep esen only 17% o in luen ial blogs, and he only opics wi h a
majo i y o women a e Gende , Babies, Beau y, Labo , Fashion and Tele ision
(Me chán, 2014). In he es , h ee ou o ou opics, men p edomina e. Likewise, 92%
o he people conside ed in luen ial on he In e ne by he es ablishmen a e men
(Me chán, 2014). The mos impo an easons ha cu en ly limi he p ojec ion o
women in he digi al sphe e o Spain may be he masculiniza ion o he mos popula
a eas, he in o mal powe ne wo ks, he lack o empowe men ha limi s he eme gence
o an "au ho ized oice" and ha women a e mo e judged, insul ed, h ea ened, and
olled when hey s and ou in public li e (Pika a, 2020).
In ac , sexis ha assmen on he In e ne is e y p esen among Spanish women
digi al communica o s, al hough he managemen can a y om igno ing i o
con on ing o i , passing h ough a lo o in e media e ways (Bu gos & Ma inez, 2013;
Remon & Medina-B a o, 2019). As a consequence, a ious eminis wee e s o
e e ence in Spain ha e ended up abandoning Twi e because o he in ense olling
(Pika a, 2020). In addi ion, ano he o m o sys ema ic a ack ha many o hese
communica o s expe ience in Spain is censo ship (Ga cía, 2020; Pika a, 2020).
Howe e , acing all hese obs acles, he numbe o eminis ac i is s, jou nalis s,
a is s, singe s, hinke s, e c. ac i e on he In e ne is inc easing in Spain and some o
hei p incipal ba le ields a e a ness, sexuali y, iolence, mens ua ion, empowe men
o humo (Bu gos & Ma inez, 2013; Nuñez-Puen e, Fe nández, & Rubi a 2014; Nuñez-
Puen e, Vazquez, & Fe nandez, 2016; Momoi io, 2013; Pinei o-O e o & Ma inez-
Rolan,2016; Rami ez, 2020; Zu bano, Cab eja, & Sánchez-Ramos, 2020). In ac , in
Spanish eminis cybe -ac i ism ou p edominan uses a e iden i ied: dissemina ion o
calls, o ganiza ion o ac ions, agenda building and sel -exp ession (Sánchez-Dua e &
Fe nández-Rome o, 2017; Sosa, Gala za, & Cas o-Ma inez, 2019).
In line o hose uses he essence o social cybe - eminism in Spain is ad ocacy
and mobiliza ion, seeking ha link be ween he ne wo ks and he s ee s. The i s
e e ence poin o eminis cybe -ac i ism in Spain was he Wo ld Ma ch o Women
(Boix, 2006). Likewise, o he impo an axis in which he mobiliza ions ha e been
o ganized, eplica ed and sp ead h ough he in e ne a e he s uggle o he
dec iminaliza ion o abo ion (Fe nandez & Ma cos, 2015; Pe ez, 2014), he p o es s o
he case o "La Manada" men ioned abo e (Campillo, 2018; Ga cía, Alabao, & Pé ez
2018; Au ho , e al. 2019) and inally he 8 h Ma ch 8 p o es s whe e online and o line
ac ion we e mobilized in an unp eceden ed way (Be nal-T i iño & Sanz-Ma os, 2020;
Campillo, 2018; Fe nandez, 2019; Gala za, Cas o-Ma inez, & Sosa 2019; Sosa,
Gala za, & Cas o-Ma inez, 2019).
Thus, he main objec i e o his s udy is o analyze he discou se on Twi e
ega ding he 8 h Ma ch 2018 and 2019 s ikes in Spain in o de o unde s and how hese
social p o es s ha e been deal wi h h ough social media ia a collec i e symbolic
coping p ocess. We he e o e a gue ha Twi e could e lec social ep esen a ions o
cu en issues, pa icula ly wi h ega d o how socie y eac s o high impac e en s ha
h ea en he es ablished social o de , as in he case o he Spanish eminis s ikes. Wha
is mo e, Twi e can also cap u e modes o pa icipa ion equi alen o hose analyzed in
classic poli ical li e a u e (Theocha is, Lowe, an De h, & Ga cía, 2013). In so doing we
will a emp o iden i y he main elemen s ha could explain how people ha e
symbolically cons uc ed and engaged wi h he s ike each yea and in es iga e he
possible di e ences be ween he wo yea s. In ac , i is expec ed ha he CSC p ocess
on he s ike o 2018 will in luence he s ike o 2019, bo h in he call o ac ion and he
deba e o he main claims, and also in he inc ease o a gende olling mo emen
agains he s ike. In addi ion, he use o hash ags du ing he co e age o hese s ikes
will also be analyzed in o de o iden i y wha pa e ns hey ollow.
Design
suppo o he # eminazi s ike! #Iamno going8m #s op eminazis! (X2= 300.82)”. The
Queen's suppo o he s ike did no please he wee e s ei he “Queen Le icia will
suppo he 8-M eminis s ike. Tha day she will no go o he hai d esse 's no will she
ouch he nose. I is o be hanked. #SpainNo You Passe el (X2= 287.56)”.
On he day o he s ike wo ypes o wee s also eme ged: hose who suppo he
s ike and hose who wan o oll i . In his case, he wee s suppo ing he s ike ca y a
g ea e weigh , as seen in “Class 2: The Feminis S ike” (31.09%) wi h wee s such as
“Women's ime! As women, we join he eminis s ike 8m! Le ´s go o he eminis
s ike! # eminiss ike 8m, #no hings opsus8m #so o i y (X2= 236.50)”. The
coun e poin is se by hose who we e agains he s ike “Class4: Agains he s ike”
(4.97%), especially wi e use s ela ed o a - igh poli ical pa ies (like Vox): “In
#Vox we suppo women and men 365 days a yea so we will no join he eminis s ike
o Ma ch 8 ha denig a es women by ea ing hem as weak and de enseless people
#Dono speakonbehal o me # eminazi (X2= 329.04)”; “Go o wo k and no be
homogenized by his # eminazi o ali a ian mo emen ! #Idon' s op! These eminis s
ha e ne e helped me absolu ely in any hing! (X2= 286.99)”.
Finally, a e Ma ch 8, he e was a deba e abou whom o wha kind o people
suppo ed he s ike. In o he wo ds, since he success o he s ike was unques ionable,
he ocus was mo e on he ype o pe son who suppo ed i , as obse able in “Class 1:
Who wen o he s ike?” 30.71%. He e some o he mos impo an wee s: “The s ike
has been ollowed only by sno and some o hem a e wo king! spokespe sons,
poli icians, hooded and demagogic! (X2= 316.69)”; “The eminis wa e conque ed he
s ee s on #8m! People who go on s ike don' ha e o be sno jus like he people who
a e wo ke s a en' necessa ily esponsible adul s so you commen s quali y you by
hemsel es! (X2= 298.95)”; “Hal he people didn' make i o a i e o hei wo kplaces
o we e le ou by picke ing. OK. Bu i 's no e hically o mo ally accep able! S ikes
should be o se ious p oblems a ec ing a la ge numbe o people no on he whim o
ou gi ls p omo ed by he media! (X2= 254.75)”.
Based on he impo ance o hash ags in Twi e discou se, hei use was mo e
deeply analyzed. The esul s e ealed ha , in 2018, he signi ican p e-s ike hash ags
we e he call o s ike, #To he eminis s ike (X2= 40.86), #Thejou nalis ss op (X2=
30.45), #Feminis s ike8m (X2= 27.74), #8m eminis s ike (X2= 17.56) o o deba e he
claims o #Feminism (X2= 26.42). Those o Ma ch 8 se ed o o ea i m pa icipa ion
in he s ike by #Is op (X2= 875.67) whils hose a e p aised wha he s ike had
achie ed o he eminis mo emen # eminis e olu ion (X2= 34.52) and also sha ed
he images o he mass demons a ions #Demos a ion8m (X2= 21.85). .
Howe e , in 2019 he e was a shi in he use o he hash ags. On he one hand,
he e we e signi ican hash ags be o e and du ing he 8 h o Ma ch o call he s ike, such
as, # o eminis s ike2019 (X2= 166.43), #Iwills op8m (X2= 100.87), #Feminis s ike8m
(X2= 12.38), #To he eminis s ike (X2= 10.98), #Feminism (X2= 10.28),
#No hings opsus8m (X2= 10.28). E en ha on Ma ch 8 mo e gene ic hash ags we e
also used such as #Happywoman'sday (X2= 10.28) o #In e na ionalwomensday (X2=
10.27). On he o he hand, hash ags o con ey non-pa icipa ion in he s ike we e used
wi h much mo e o ce han he p e ious yea , such as #Idon’ s op (X2= 167.95).
Howe e , e en mo e agg essi e was he use o hash ags o oll he eminis mo emen ,
compa ing eminis s o Nazis wi h he e m # eminazi (X2= 167.95), o #s op eminazi
(X2= 32.25), and claiming ha he in en ion o he eminis s is o impose hei
discou se: #don´ speakonbehal o me (X2= 108.9), #Don' speak o me (X2= 87.69).
Finally, he hash ag #Vox (X2= 57.28), ( he ul a- igh pa y ha managed o gain en y
in o he ins i u ions in 2019) is also linked o all he o he an i- eminis hash ags.
Discussion
The objec i e o his s udy was o unde s and he social meaning a ached o
Spanish women´s s ikes and o analyze i he e we e any changes in he way o coping
wi h his om he i s call o he second.
Following he discu si e pa e ns o Twi e in he 2018 s ike, we ha e been
able o obse e h ee phases o he CSC. To begin wi h, in he days be o e he s ike
he e was a phase o awa eness in which he s ike was called, emphasizing bo h he
di e en collec i es ha joined i (e.g., jou nalis s, uni e si y p o esso s, s uden s, and
ac o y wo ke s) and he ields (wo k, consump ion, and ca e) ha i a ec ed,
highligh ing i s legi imacy (Be nal-T i iño, & Sanz-Ma os, 2020; Campillo, 2019;
Sosa, Gala za, & Cas o-Ma inez, 2019). This awa eness phase had di e en objec i es
such as he dissemina ion o calls, o ganiza ion o ac ions o agenda building (Sánchez-
Dua e & Fe nández-Rome o, 2017).
I is ue, howe e , ha om he ime ha he s ike was called, a phase o
di e gence can be obse ed in which se e al key aspec s o he s ike a e discussed. The
ole o men in he s ike was pa icula ly polemic, since, on he one hand, some men
we e ou aged because he eminis mo emen "da ed" o p opose o hem wha o do
ha day. The domes ic and ca e du ies, and he possibili y ha men ca ied hese ou on
ha day, we e pa icula ly con o e sial in his deba e (Ga cía, Alabao, & Pé ez, 2018;
Ruiz F anco, 2018). On he o he hand, o he men, amed in hei p og essi e
con ic ions, claimed hei igh o s ike wi hou unde s anding ha he poin o he
women's s ike was o make isible he ac ha i women s opped, he sys em would
collapse (Campillo, 2019; Ga cía, Alabao, & Pé ez, 2018).
Finally, om Ma ch 8 h onwa ds, a phase o con e gence eme ged whe e he
esounding success o he s ike was ag eed. The small numbe o Twee s on Ma ch 8 h
migh seem a li le puzzling, bu his may be because many wi e use s also ex ended
he s ike o include he use o he ne wo ks on ha day, as s a ed in he wee , “I s op a
8M: no wo k, no ca e, no consump ion. I ha e also decided o s ike on social ne wo ks
and s op illing hem wi h con en . I will ake my came a and mobile o he
demons a ion and he 9M will sha e i . Tha day we ha e o be in he s ee ”. E en so,
one o he mos p ominen and isible achie emen s o he s ike was ha i managed o
s op he main ele ision p og ams, and i was pa icula ly i al on Twi e ha all
mo ning shows had o be cancelled (Be nal-T i iño, & Sanz-Ma os, 2020; Sosa,
Gala za, & Cas o-Ma inez, 2019).
I is ue ha o he s udies abou he CSC p ocess ha e poin ed ou ha eaching
he con e gence phase en ails a longe pe iod o ime (Au ho , e al. 2019; Wagne ,
K onbe ge , & Sei e , 2002). Howe e , in his case, i is legi ima e o each his phase
ea lie , since we a e alking abou a speci ic e en ha las ed o one day (a ha ime i
was no known ha i was going o be epea ed he ollowing yea ).
In 2019 he ea men o he s ike changed adically on Twi e . No on he pa
o he eminis mo emen , who ollowed a simila scheme o dissemina e he calls,
o ganize he ac ions and o c ea e awa eness by becoming pa o he poli ical and media
agenda. Bu in he olling ha eme ged du ing all phases o he s ike. The agg essi e
and an i-s ike discou se ied o monopolize he i ual space be o e, du ing and a e
he s ike and ied o a ack bo h he eminis mo emen and poli icians, public people,
media o anonymous people who de end i .
This new way o coping wi h he s ike and he social mo emen could ha e wo
unde lying causes. The i s could be he success o he eminis s ike o he p e ious
yea , ag eed in he 2018 CSC p ocess, and he second could be he new Spanish socio-
poli ical con ex , whe e p og essi e pa ies had eached he go e nmen , expelling he
conse a i es. The e o e, he olling may ha e been in ended o ha m bo h he eminis
mo emen and he p og essi e go e nmen ha suppo ed i . Fu he mo e, ollowing he
ou line o he CSC, his mo emen ied o c ea e a phase o e y agg essi e di e gence
o y o p e en a con e gence on he success o he s ike as in he p e ious yea .
In ac , since be o e he s ike, he ac ha he go e nmen 's o icial webpages
we e in ed pu ple igge ed a la ge numbe o agg essi e wee s. They e en managed o
pe suade he Gua dia Ci il accoun o ecede and emo e he pu ple backg ound.
Howe e , he g ea es ins ances o agg essi eness appea ed on he e y day o he s ike
whe e he e we e wee s compa ing he women's mo emen o he Nazis and accusing
hem o wan ing o impose o ali a ian hinking on all women (de San os, 2019). These
wee s, amed wi hin he “Men’s Righ s Ac i ism” (Ging, 2017), which is also a o m
o ‘media ed misogyny’ (Vicke y & E e bach, 2018), we e closely linked o he ideas
o he conse a i e pa ies, pa icula ly hose o he ul a- igh and e en hei hash ag
(# ox). In ac , his pa y ollows a e y conc e e s a egy (inspi ed by he social
ne wo k campaigns o T ump and Bolsona o) o isualize and i alize i s p esence on
he ne wo ks h ough an ex eme use o olling (Rubio 2019; Viejo and Alonso 2018).
Finally, a e Ma ch 8, and wi hou being able o ques ion he g ea success o
he s ike, hey ied o disquali y he women who ook pa in i by olling agains
eminis s. Th ough his echnique, he olls a emp ed o a oid again he con e gence
success speech ha eme ged he p e ious yea . Thus, i is obse able ha aside om
olling as a s ic ly leisu ely endea o (Lopez, Muldoon, & McKeown, 2018), in 2019 a
e y ac i e campaign o olling and coun e -in o ma ion agains he s ike was
a icula ed on Twi e , being his he mos no able di e ence be ween he discou se o
he wo calls.
The use o hash ags also highligh s he di e ence be ween he wo yea s, as in
2019 eme ged ypical oll hash ags ha in ended o dis up in e ac ions, agg a a e
discu si e pa ne s and lu e he min o ui less a gumen a ion (Coles & Wes , 2016), as
al eady no ed in he esul s.
In addi ion, ano he in e es ing aspec in he analysis o he hash ags is ha he e
was no dominan hash ag o he call o co e u e o he s ikes in any o he yea s. This
could ha e hinde ed he abili y o aise awa eness o he issue, encou age deba e,
a ilia e indi iduals wi h a communi y, and in eg a e esou ces om he In e ne ia
social media (Bonilla & Rosa, 2015; Yang, 2016; Xiong, Cho, & Boa w igh , 2019). In
o he wo ds, a e e en hash ag could ha e bene i ed he indexing o he s ike on social
media (Bonilla & Rosa, 2015), becoming an exp ession o he public discou se beyond
Twi e and p opelling connec i e ac ions (Ba ke -Plumme & Ba ke -Plumme , 2017;
Wang, Liu, & Gao, 2016). In addi ion, o "band oge he " h ough a e e ence hash ag
could also p omo e shielding, ha is o say, an ac i e esis ance and de ense o eminis
digi al ac i ism o coun e balance an i- eminis and misogynis ic olling he o ic on
Twi e (Lopez, Muldoon, & McKeown, 2018).
Finally, we should also e lec on wha he 8 h Ma ch s ikes ha e b ough o
digi al ac i ism in Spain. Fi s ly, he p edominan uses ha cybe - eminism has
his o ically had in Spain (Sanchez-Dua e & Fe nandez-Rime o, 2017) ha e been
clea ly e lec ed in ou esul s. To begin wi h, i is clea ha one o he main objec i es
o he analyzed discou ses was he dissemina ion o he 8 h Ma ch s ikes. Al hough
p e ious s udies ha e sugges ed ha he dissemina ion o calls ollows a pa e n
ecognized wi h ew elemen s o inno a ion (Sanchez-Dua e & Fe nandez-Rome o,
2017), in his case bo h ou esul s and o he adjacen esea ch (Fe nandez, 2019) poin
ha he e ha e been in e es ing le els o au onomy, sel -o ganiza ion and ho izon ali y.
In ac , i seems ha he con empo a y eminis cybe -ac i ism in Spain allow o sp ead
eminis hough in a di e se way and o each beyond hose al eady con inced (Pinei o-
O e o & Ma inez-Rolan, 2016; Sánchez-Dua e & Fe nández-Rome o, 2017; Zu bano,
Cab eja & Sánchez-Ramos, 2020).
Likewise, he o ganiza ion o he ac ions has also been ans o med, as a
consequence o he commi men o he eminis ne wo k o a icula e pla o ms ha
aimed o syn hesize he syne gies o he online and o line (Nuñez, Fe nandez & Rubi a,
2014) ha we e so e iden du ing he 8 h Ma ch s ikes. We mus assume ha he o ms
o ac i ism ha e changed, " he banne s a e d awn in Pho oshop, he assemblies a e
made by Skype and he mani es os a e w i en by many hands h ough Google Docs"
(Pika a, 2020, p.135). In o he wo ds, new echnologies p omo e he c ea ion o mo e
ho izon al and pa icipa o y poli ical spaces, bu he esis ances ha eminism inds in
he s ee a e also p esen in he ne wo ks as e idenced in he 2019 s ike.
Fu he mo e, he analyzed discou se has also highligh ed he in luence o
ne wo ks in building awa eness and igh ing agains exclusions om he poli ical and
media agendas. In ac , he isibili y o he in luence o he s ikes in he media sphe e
has been one o he g ea es achie emen s o hese s ikes as e lec ed in ou esul s
(Be nal-T i iño & Sanz-Ma os, 2020; Gala za, Cas o-Ma inez, & Sosa 2019; Sosa,
Gala za, & Cas o-Ma inez, 2019).
Finally, his s udy has highligh ed he sel -exp essi e possibili ies o he eminis
digi al discou se and i s po en ial o ans o ming indi idual opinions in o e ec i e
s a egies o ac ion (Sanchez-Dua e & Fe nandez-Rome o, 2017). In ac , se e al
au ho s ha e poin ed ou ha he eminis con en s ha wo k bes on he In e ne a e
hose ha a e w i en in he i s pe son and ha poli icize daily expe iences in which
anyone can eel iden i ied (Gas, 2019; Kelle , Mendes, & Ring ose, 2018).
The e o e i seems e iden ha social ne wo ks ha e become a e e ence space o he
Spanish eminis mo emen , gene a ing a con inuum be ween con en ional and online
eminis ac i ism. Indeed, e en ou esul s sugges ha he Twi e discou se enhances
he sense o communi y, democ a izes he dissemina ion and gi es isibili y, i should
be conside ed whe he his digi al space is concei ed as a suppo o as a basis o such
ac ions (Van-Lae & Van-Aels , 2010). Likewise, in u u e esea ch i would also be
in e es ing o analyze o wha ex en he ole o social ne wo ks is being o e alued, and
communi y wo k unde es ima ed, when explaining he success o he 8 h Ma ch eminis
s ikes in Spain.
In essence, he success o he Spanish eminis s ikes, bo h o line and online, is
indispu able. Mo eo e , hese s ikes a e also clea examples o he impac o digi al
echnologies on ans o ming collec i e ac ion and social mobiliza ion wi h an open-
sou ce discou se sp ead by he social ne wo ks. A discou se p omo ed by eminis
digi al ac i ism has been able o eme ge despi e olling in online spaces, dissemina ing
he eminis demands o Spanish women who ha e decided o s op in he ace o he
daily inequali ies o li e. The challenge now is o join ly manage success and o
inco po a e demands in o a sha ed agenda. Fo his, eminis digi al ac i ism will again
play a pi o al ole, since i makes eminis ac i ism isible and will allow i o become a
daily poli ical p ac ice.
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Figu e 1. A hie a chical clus e ing dend og am o wee s o he 2018 eminis women´s s ike, wi h he mos equen wo ds and he wo ds wi h
he s onges associa ion X2(1), p < 0,001.
Figu e 2. A hie a chical clus e ing dend og am o wee s o he 2019 eminis women´s s ike, wi h he mos equen wo ds and he wo ds wi h
he s onges associa ion X2(1), p < 0,001.
Figu e 3. Visual Abs ac
