Netnography of Women´s Cyberactivism Against Environmental Denialism on Instagram

Abstract

This article aims to give an account of the digital narratives used by women activists to counter environmental denialism during the 2022 election period in Brazil. There is still little research that addresses the topic, especially through women ́s lenses on a specific timeframe, such as elections. The article is based on a netnography of the publications on Instagram during the months of August and September 2022, to identify the strategies used by women cyberactivists to counter environmental denialism through their digital narratives. Data were gathered through desk research and non-participatory observation, incorporating specific inclusive criteria, and the netnography process involved a thematic analysis supported by Atlas TI. The study is constrained by limitations in the netnography method, such as ethical considerations necessitating anonymized data from a sample mostly consisting of verified accounts and the limited access to cyberactivists' demographic information. We have identified 5 main strategies from the carried out analysis: Value´s Expression, Emotional Expression, Reasoned Arguments, Collective Action, and Community Building, which was framed in the dimensions Individual, Collective, Subjective and Objective, create meaning through generating identification, action, sense of belonging and creating awareness and movement.The creation and envisioning of new realities happen in the dialogue between the Cyberactivists and their followers, and the success of their activism relies on their capacity of reaching and affecting their followers through their strategies, generating meaning.