Communicating misogyny_acceptedSPPC.pdf (158.6 kB)
Download fileCommunicating misogyny: an interdisciplinary research agenda for social psychology
The aim of this paper is to discuss how social psychology might go about studying social hostility
in public life that goes beyond mere disagreement on political matters. The paper addresses the
case of online misogyny against women active in public life. In the context of a profound
coarsening of political debate in Britain and elsewhere, women who are active in public life come
regularly up against a barrage of abuse and intimidation online. The paper argues that
manifestations of misogyny cross ideological lines and takes an array of forms. Misogyny is a
specific class of prejudice that harms the dignity of women by calling into question women’s
(human) rights to participation in public life, freedom of expression, and personal safety. In
order to fully understand the intricacies of online misogyny social psychologists need to draw upon more directly on communications and media theories of mediated communication and connective action.
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