• Cyber feminism - something we dont take seriously ; for people like us comes something

so naturally being part of a particular time

• We dont give it the political importance it deserves

• Such things are much more imp and complicated

• Cyberfeminism refers to a range of theories and practices about gender and digital culture

• Digital culture based on poliicial, cultura, social landscape

• Linking the terms cyber and feminism creates a very crucial new formation in history of
feminism and e-media

• Newspapers, written media etc are gendered spaces

• Cyber space is also very gendered

• Theres no limit to the kinds of feminism you can have

• Cyberfemniism is recreating and reforming a new direction in the history of feminism

• It can also be seen an oppositional technology of power as well

• It creates an alternative space for people who are marginalised in the real world and can
express themselves freely

• cyberfeminism relates to the current times we are living in right now

• Feminism over time

• Cyber-feminism has had a head start in the global north esp w technology being avaibale
there more readily - they also have this concept which is more accommodated iin social
theory as well

• Donna Haraway - blurring the boundaries b/w human and the machine - she’s talking about
this new manifestation of human part technology - if you look at here work
metaphorically ; its about stepping outside the binary which has shacked the
conceptualisation of human in our mind - its bringing in new forms of tech to create a new
experience

• Many authors worked on ink b/w gender and technology

• There’s always this hybridity which comes with technology and human experience =

• New form of being for a new world

• Allows us to step outside the binaries we have set across ourselves

• Also cause of the liberating element cyberfemiinism isn’t about the politics of it all or
organising for on ground participation - its also about a culture which cultivates joy and
affirmation , which comes from connectivity which we get to enjoy through technology
• Feminist women have a history of dancing through the variety of very lethal minefields in
their pursuit of socio-symbolic justice - and nowadays women take the dance through
cyber space

• But imp to remember that this isn’t the same as what happens on the ground and thats why
allows us with different opportunities to be annoynym, be a different side of ourselves,
being artistic == so has helped in reimagining public space and reimaiinging potentialities
of activism which cant be experienced on the ground

• Helps in bringing about a newer way of being which is perhaps not allowed to women on
the ground

• But imp to recognise that even cyber feminism has same restrictions that on ground
activism does based on gender, race and class within the political economy

• techniolgy is something you gain from a capitalist system - which is why we see a very
unfair representation on social media ; we will be seeing the digitial divide in pakistan

• Not just class but gender and ethnic and national identity and if youre part of the country
how that accessibility plays into your existence on social media

• So the agency we are talking about being expressive on digital media - the very people
who are excluded who are excluded from mainstream want to be included in this
cybersphere to be included

• Aurat March ; certain level of autonomy which enables a reconfiguration of who gets to be
at the forefront == so its not just who is available on the ground, but who has thee agency
to churn the narrative and make people see what’s happening ; this comes from
accessibility to th internet, a language on the internet, time to invest in the digital space
which has to do with your responsibilities in the house etc etc

• But the liimitaitons on the ground which are informing limitations in the cyberspace are
still less rigid in that space - easy to circumvent those obitsles == cause going out for
women without a man’s permission iin certain orthodox households can be seen as very
prbelmation to achieve - but the absence of the physical body in the digital space where
you dont have to step out has a very liberating effect

• Idea of humain koi dekh na lay, what if we get recognised - so limits your presence in
women’s activism — but these things aren’t required in social media space, you can make
an anonymous account because you dont face a backlash for voicing their concerns and
dont have to create an uncomfortable process in the household can be very liberating for
women who want to take part in this activism -==> whereas in the past the only people can
be present on the ground and getting arrested for doing so were cleberaeted for that but
now we can celebrate a different idea of doing politics as well, different ways of making
conversations available

• This subaltern space have allowed Pakistani women to be more politically active -
• Aurat March and Online Activism

• Used whatever resources they had to create a digital space where people could practice
their politics

• But that didnt mean they would alienate people who wanted to do on ground activism as
well

• So what they did was they connected both realms

• Limitations of one informs the other - same with benefits

• They used cyberspace to create more accessibility, to churn out more dialogue, to organise
meetings that people can do face to face - and then also collectivised together

• Imp to understand cyberspace isn’t just about staying within that space - but a ridge
between you and who you want to be on the ground

• Used this method to reach out to as many people as possible - new form of politics —
media cell imp in creating a narrative which is more accessible to people on a wider scale
—> if you’re on instagram and twitter and seeing the news simulatoenoy youre being made
accessible to a lot of knowledge

• Aurat March decided they would use social media to reach out to as many people as
possible which is expensive to do on-ground

• So social media provides a free form of campaiginiing

• But they also used digital space to create centers and meetings offline to reach out to
people who dnt have access to the internet

• But the first thing they had to do was reach out to people who do have access to the
internet, who would want to participate in this - and using this to create a manifesto, and
create regulations

• Its a very connected form of politics where you’re using all your resources

• Cause of the anonymity, where women can talk to each other and speak to each and share
each other’s pain - has encouraged women to come out in the space as well because the
digital space was so comforting and felt it was a safe space ; which is why they realised
listening to each and talking back to political and power structures makes you feel better -
so realisd political activism is important

• This was very much encouraged by the me too movement which happened and reached out
to women in almost every country because there hasn’t been any women who haven’t
faced a certain sort of oppression or abuse at the hands of the patriarchal structure — so
that unanimity also led to a tradition of collectivising again and again , very much based on
the history of doing feminism in Pakistan but also a new sense of affirmaiton or creating
 affinity beyond identity politics - creating a feeling that we all need to come together and
do something together

• —

• Sarah Ahmad has whole theory on doing feminist politics which isn’t just about
collectivising or being political or talking about pain and grief - but also about creating joy
and living your life in the most liberating manner because of which sometimes you have to
kill other people’s joy

• ‘feminist kill joy’ once you know things and become aware of feminist politics you start
calling people out on their mysogny or bad jokes - because you feel uncomfortable by
them and that discomfort is political because you’re not supposed to be okay with those
structures that oppress a certain gender - to kill the joy which comes from ignorance and
mysogunitic biases

• The “feminist snap” ; an irritation - linked to killing joy and creating your own - enough is
enough - you’re using all your resources to create a culture of politics

• You’re re-shfiting your focus on things that bother you and cause discomfort

• Pakistan going through this feminist snap through digital media cause it is accessible

• Throughout studying the feminist history - we do see more vocal feminists and more active
feminists, APWA years good relations w govt, WAF years very reactionary - but then we
see a certain level of anger and pushing cause we have the faith-based phase and
NGOisation == and then we come to 2013 where the youth is being asked to be included in
these activities - biggest tragedy of PTi cause they politicised the youth by using digital
media ; and now that digital space is being used to create more noise abut this feminist
snap, we do feel like we’re being subjugated - digital media allows you to be more
expressive - the annonymt of it all and the accessibility, sit in your own house and enjoy
that protection - its to create a bridge to on-ground activism ; esp in times of COVID we
have seen how important it is to keep the debate alive — that’s why there are many people
working on this == women need a particular space to find themselves and do politics ; pre-
req for feminist consciousness (listn to slide for more clarity, slide 7)—

• Digitial divide

• The Digital divide is very gendered

• Only 50% of women in Pak own a phone, and 81% men own it

• And even owning means using it once a month and having a sim in it

• Even fewer has access to internet on their mobile phones - gendered again

• This is informed by economic factors ; women having less purchasing power ion families
and also more reluctance to spend on women in families for their needs
• Women who are practising cyberfemiinism are mostly middle class sometimes lower
middle and definitely upper middle class who have access to the internet and
knowledge/lang celebrated on social media

• But that has been problematised by PTM and other marginalised communities on the
Internet who do use their own language - more accessible keyboards like Urdu - we now
see more marginalised networks coming in and reaching out to their own people===> this
is gendered

• Even with this tho we see so many women came to attend the Aurat March because of the
awareness created there - so sheds light on how what happens in the digital landscape
doesn’t stay there and doesn’t die there - it has a tangible spill over effect on the realities
on the ground as well - which creates a bigger culture of doing politics

• Women who do get to practice online activism from miiddle classes who may not get
permission to step outside th ehouse more than once a week or attend meetings - but have
access to meetings in their house ==

• A lot of women choose not to do activism becuase of their limitations, or their health or
mental health being threatened - then that’s a high price to pay for doing politics - so if
they dont have to make those sacrifices and still get to enjoy that certain level of protection
doesn’t mean they’re making a choice, but they’re circumventing their lack of choice and
are being made part of a discourse so they’re not alienated anymore

• Many women dont have the ability to make the ‘choice’ to be present on ground - so thats
why the internet is so important because they’re not being put in that tough spot and are
being made aware of this tech and pol advancement

• Women who do practice Digital landscpae and participate in it - have to face very tangible
consequences ; surveillance that then also translates into on ground suveiiallance of people
being informed of who you are what you do, how you’re activities are logged, online
threats, trolling which has a big impact on your life == digital landscape can also be
precarious, if someone gets your pictures and finds out who you are - can lead to
consequences and that precarity is something women have to face on the ground and also
on digital media so now iits important to take cyberfmeiinism to the next stage ; to make
more innovative ways to protect women online == FIA tried to do so to protectp eople
from trolls, but acc encouraged surveillance over people who are speaking against the
government

• —

• But doing cyber feminism is something recent and with time and investment and
innovative policy making we will be able to counter problems social media creates

• But we need to give cyber feminism credit where its due - site of feminist struggle not just
potential for organising political activity or reaching out to people or using it as a
 logistically space for solving your logistical issues like where to meet etc - but its emphasis
on producing a culture of joy, establishing that as a network women may invest in poliiticla
participation and community building activities based on pleasure

• Provides you with opportunity to find like-minded people, to build a community, to

harness friendships and to also seek joy in how you express yourselves and be more
artistically expressive that social media has provided

• Its interesting if you think about feminism in paksitna where stage has arrived where joy
and pleasure and unhappiness aren’t belititled as personalised emotions divorced from
political activism but a social movement ; that through social media is now being
accommodated and being sustained as well based on that collaborative perceiptn of
navigating affect in our daily life

• Experiencing grief, sorrow, dissatisfaction that Sarah Ahmad was talking about isn’t
personal anymore because the personal is political - and that maxim has found its
playground on social media because now your emotions and expressions are enjoying this
outlet where you can reach to 100s of thousands of people who might tell you they feel the
same way - just to know that people are listening to you and these ideas are shared and
theres a space where you can encourage people to understand you and be understood - that
is the very essence of feminist politics ; to tlak to other people, to hold on to other people,
to build a community - how you make online friends and you then meet them in person and
you come together== strength in numbers is important for feminist activism, for people to
know we are fighting for the cause together, solidarity ==

When you talk to inspiring people your beliefs are being reinforced