Did the Communications Revolution amplify Feminism?
Evidence from the US, Europe, Latin America, and Malaysia
Online communications have revolutionised global connectivity. 20th century technological innovations heralded a transformative process of transnational learning. Television, movies, and online media amplified the possibilities for large-scale ideological persuasion.
How did this affect gender equality?
New communications could be powerfully disruptive, showcasing subversive alternatives, celebrating defiant liberalism, and demonstrating wider support for contestation. Before digging into the global evidence, please state your prior:
In Latin America, Spain, and the United States, TV seems to have supported ongoing cultural liberalisation and gender equality. Strong, independent, liberated women were increasingly celebrated as respected protagonists, succeeding on their own. ‘Cultural leapfrogging’ occurs as women worldwide may be inspired by the frontier.
However, this positive effect may be contingent on the underlying culture, principally the absence of female seclusion, ideals of liberal freedoms, and favourable attitudes towards the U.S.
Increased access to digital technologies has yielded starkly different results in many parts of the Muslim world. Although online platforms lowered the barriers to communication, Islamic credibility remains contingent on conforming to established scholarly consensus - from the Arabian heartland.
So, rather than popularising feminism, new communication channels have actually accelerated Arabisation. This trend, driven by historical prestige, has encouraged gender segregation, homophobia, and illiberalism. Arabisation thus creates major new barriers for Muslim feminists.
This essay explores:
Career Girls & Counter-Culture on US TV
Spain’s Movida Madrileña
Latin America’s cultural liberalisation
Technology has enabled Arabisation
Liberal Malysians are pushing back
Challenges for Muslim feminists
