The “Thursday of fraternity”: gender, social networks and cybersecurity

• In Event: 3267 - Section on Communication, Information Technologies, and Media Sociology Refereed Roundtables (1 hour)
  In Refereed Roundtable 60min: 4. Online Social Media Praxis & Age and Gender

Abstract

In September 2018, the Bolivian writer Liliana Colanzi published an article in “El Deber”, one of the most important newspapers in Bolivia that criticized a tradition: the “Thursday of fraternity”. Every Thursday, men usually get together with their friends for a drink, party, or go out. This is considered a female-free space where single and married men can freely do “men’s things”. Colanzi argued that this tradition not only reproduces masculine patriarchy, but also provides networks of solidarity and power to men. The article caused a stir in the Bolivian media but was nothing compared to what happened in social networks. The newspaper posted the article on its Facebook page and soon it resonated among its followers. The writer’s personal Facebook account was also flooded by negative comments.
Paradoxically, the Bolivian government did not react at all, despite the fact that Colanzi is one of the most awarded Bolivian young authors and that the statistics shows that 60% of Bolivian women experienced violence from their partners (Data from Pan-American Health Organization-PAHO). Violence persists, especially in social networks.
The mentioned case is not an exception but is recurring all over the world. Women, especially if they advocate for gender equality and their rights, are often harassed and delegitimized in social networks. Despite the efforts of governments, private actors and International Organizations to provide cybersecurity, social networks are usually avoided within the cybersecurity discourse.
In this paper, from an intersectional approach, I will discuss how cybersecurity discourse dismisses social network security, particularly for harassment of women. My argument is that cybersecurity’s state-centered approach often times takes for granted that individuals are the main recipients of security, causing those groups with specific security needs, such as women, to be invisibilized.

Author

• Mario Siddhartha Portugal-Ramirez, The University of Massachusetss Boston