Witches in Swamps, Sirens at Sea, and Leviathans of the Deep: Feminist Figures that Haunt our Social Media Worlds

Abstract

This article considers the resurgence of the monstrous feminine in digital culture, focusing on the memetic manifestation of witches, sirens, and leviathans. We trace the histories of these figures in the digital present, dwelling with their legacies to map and document the feminist resistance that has emerged in response to the neoliberal, misogynist culture of digital space that seeks to stamp out transgression. These media ecologies of the internet thrive on the networked misogyny, white supremacy, and polarization of their systems, brought in by the tech bros who coded them. From within these conditions, we illustrate how digital witches, sirens, and leviathans fight back, offering resistance that transcends digital bounds. In the face of the misogyny of digital culture at large, we argue that each of these figures linger, haunting as they embody, ground, and serve anti-capitalist feminist resistance.