Emergent online discourses and the (re)framing of women’s identity

Abstract

The advent of social media communication platforms, specifically blogs as sites of politicalengagement, means that they now constitute the key carriers of democratic public discourse.Previously marginalised groups such as women can now deliberate, interpret and re-frame theirown narratives and identities. This article examines how Zimbabwean women are using blogsto resist and subvert women’s ascribed identities, improve the political, economic and culturalrepresentations of women, and enhance women’s participation in politics. Using feminist criticaltheory, the article describes how women-owned content from selected Zimbabwean blogsframes women’s political, economic and cultural identities, and how women producing their ownmessages are improving women’s representation in society. Data obtained through qualitativecontent analysis of blog posts reveal that, as sites of agency, blogs offer possibilities for reframingand re-presenting women’s political and cultural identities. Blogs act as sites for thesubversion of ascribed identities that continue to position women as second-class citizens. Thearticle concludes that digital media, particularly blogs, can be used as sites of resistance to powerby bringing to the fore counter narratives that have been obscured from mainstream discourse,and at the same time affording women direct influence over their public image.