Embodiment in activist images: addressing the role of the body in digital activism

Abstract

When studying digital protest, researchers generally focus on the linguistic content produced by activists and supporters. The images associated with this content, however, are not given equal attention. This study will attempt to assess the role that images play in the narratives of activists who are not addressing issues explicitly tied to the physical body. I analyze the digital content of two social movements: ‘The Occupy Wall Street Movement’ and ‘The Swan Queen Movement’. Discourse analysis, both linguistic and visual, of the social media content (Tumblr specifically) from the movements reveals that these images serve the purposes of embodiment. This contradicts much of the literature on the Internet and embodiment, which posits that the Internet better serves the purposes of disembodiment and disconnection from consistent identity practices. I argue that this work sheds light on how activists are re-defining what it means to be embodied.