UN Women and the United Nations celebrate this March 8, 2023 the International Women’s Day under the motto For an inclusive digital world: Innovation and technology for gender equality.
In this International Women’s Daywe call on governments, activist movements and the private sector to accelerate their efforts to achieve a more digital world. safefurther inclusive and more equitable. At a time when we are faced with multiple global crises, we have the chance to create a better future, not just for women and girls, but for all humanity and all life on Earth.
Dilanaz Guler is a 19-year-old Turkish gender equality activist. She advocates the fight against femicide and the gender violence on the Internet, also works to promote the digital literacy and the use of the media with critical view. In addition, she is the founder of the collective Youth for Digital Literacy, directed by young people and teenagers. Dilanaz believes that youth’s unique relationship with the Internet – which, for many people, means a lifetime of uneventful access to the web – makes it an essential constituency for tackling some of their most difficult problems.
From the impunity of the burrow
Whether it’s men harassing women with their messages or posting hateful comments on their photos, many of us have a preconceived idea about gender-based violence online. However, this can take many forms and “doesn’t have to be overtly aggressive or really threatening.
In fact, easily recognizable forms constitute a minority of cases and, while other less obvious ones can be just as harmful, they often escape the radar of existing legal frameworks. Deepfake pornography, a growing trend for which there are currently no legal resources to combat it. In order to effectively address this problem, it is really important to deconstruct what we understand by gender-based violence online.
The proliferation of online violence and misogyny is part of a broader trend of internet radicalization exacerbated by COVID-19. Alone at home, many people have come into contact with online communities that may initially seem harmless.
It’s not that one person goes online and decides they’re going to be misogynistic.” But, in the absence of other outside influences, extremist beliefs became less recognizable.
What makes these internet “loop holes” so effective is the mix of facts and lies they use to hide their true intentions.
It is very difficult to disassemble all these arguments one by one.
Misogynistic and far-right influencers rose to prominence in this way, and their growing following included people who did not – at least initially – share their views. But over time, the popularity of these influencers helped to normalize their behavior and generalize their beliefs.
Dilanaz Güler is a 19-year-old anti-violence and gender equality activist and founder of Youth for Digital Literacy. Photo courtesy of Dilanaz Güler.
Radical change
In reality, many of the difficulties we encounter on the Internet could be solved with fairly simple steps.
A crucial starting point is fact checking. Dilanaz’s work in the field of digital literacy and critical use of the media is motivated by the idea that if you can effectively distinguish what is true from what is not, it will be much more difficult to let yourself go. ensnared by reactionary rhetoric.
I advocate a politics of radical love. When a person surfs the Internet looking for communities based on love and communication, do not fear that they are fighting against.
Networking around a shared positive vision is another way to avoid the reactionary beliefs that have become increasingly popular not only among misogynistic people, but also among some feminist activists.
The reason why I do my job is that I firmly believe that technology can help build a better world.
Its power to connect people can transform and even save lives, especially in crisis situations such as the recent earthquakes that have devastated large parts of Turkey and Syria. From global fundraisers via digital media and real-time updates to online reporting mechanisms for survivors of violence.
Technology bridges many organizations, many people, and many cultures.
network connection
When a person starts their activist work, they feel very alone due to the fact that they are more aware of their common environment than their peers. My advice, therefore, is to always look for support networks with whom the person can communicate in ways other than simply shouting against a wall.
Only by connecting to the web can a person relate to people who want to come into contact with others. This is a very basic premise of the Internet. But I think it’s also the most valuable for activism.