Publication Date
25 July 2019
Original Abstract
This article argues that #MeToo posts are transgressive and can be understood as a case of confessional discourse that has the potential to empower women around the world rather than inspiring shame. Due to its public nature, #MeToo also challenges existing frameworks for understanding sexual relationships in the United States. This critical discourse analysis of the response to the #MeToo movement over 9 months (2017–2018) on the Reddit community AskReddit surfaced fears about how the movement is redefining normal sexual behavior. By inventorying the knowledge claims produced across four question and answer comment threads, important shifts in subject positions and discursive frames show that under the guise of inclusive rhetoric and expert discourse, many Reddit respondents fear their past behavior will be reconstituted as abusive. Rape myths also appeared in the discourse as a backlash against the #MeToo movement.
Reference
Lanius, C. (2019). Torment Porn or Feminist Witch Hunt: Apprehensions About the #MeToo Movement on /r/AskReddit. Journal of Communcation Inquiry. Vol. 43 (4), 415-436. DOI: 10.1177/0196859919865250.
To request the entire article to the author
https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/0196859919865250
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