Exploring young adults’ views of the #AmINext movement in South Africa
Date
2023
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Abstract
Gender-based violence (GBV) is a pervasive problem in South Africa and has significant impacts on a person’s physical, psychological, and sexual health. Moreover, as technology advances in the world, social media becomes increasingly available and ‘hashtag activism’ has become an increasingly important tool in challenging social injustices such as GBV. A notable example of online movements is the #AmINext movement. Thus, this study aimed to develop an understanding of how young adults in South Africa experienced the #AmINext movement and how it served to conscientise and shape their ideas about GBV. Semistructured interviews were conducted with five male and five female participants and thematic analysis was used to analyse the interview material. The findings of the study revealed a unified understanding of the #AmINext movement to exist as a result of the murder and rape of Uyinene Mrwetyana. The movement was understood to raise consciousness on GBV, encourage action against GBV, challenge rape culture and create a sense of community among victims and those engaging in the movement. The movement was experienced not only as unifying but the online space was also experienced as negative and exclusionary and where harmful narratives were perpetuated. The movement resulted in a deeper understanding of GBV and an increased willingness to engage against GBV further highlighting how the movement shaped ideas around GBV. Therefore, the #AmINext movement reflected many of the advantages and disadvantages of hashtag activism but was perceived to result in conscientisation around GBV.
Description
A research report submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts in Community-Based Counselling Psychology to the Faculty of Humanities, University of the Witwatersrand, 2023
Keywords
Gender-based violence, Hashtag activism, Social media