Digital Feminist Activism Under Networked Authoritarianism: The Case of China's #MeToo Movement

• In Event: 40417 - Global Feminisms in Action: Resistance, Identity, and Solidarity Across Borders

Abstract

This paper examines how digital feminist movements operate under sophisticated systems of technical and ideological control through analysis of China’s #MeToo movement, with particular focus on the landmark case of Zhou Xiaoxuan (Xianzi) versus Zhu Jun. Drawing on in-depth interviews with activists (N=16) and digital ethnographic observation conducted between September 2021 and June 2022, the research reveals complex dynamics between control mechanisms and movement adaptation that extend beyond simple binaries of repression and resistance. The findings demonstrate three key developments in activism and digital authoritarianism: First, technical and ideological control systems operate through multiple, reinforcing layers that include platform censorship, state surveillance, and coordinated social opposition. Second, movements develop what I term “bounded innovation” - sophisticated but restrained forms of adaptation that work within and at the same time challenge systemic constraints. Third, the integration of technical infrastructure into governance enables increasingly precise forms of control while paradoxically generating spaces for persistent resistance. These dynamics suggest the need to reconceptualize how we understand both movement sustainability and state power under digital authoritarianism. Rather than seeing digital platforms simply as tools of control or resistance, the research demonstrates how they become contested spaces where both control mechanisms and movement practices evolve in increasingly sophisticated ways. The analysis contributes to theoretical understanding of contemporary state-society relations by showing how activism maintains sustained presence despite intensifying technical constraints, while revealing broader implications for social movements under digital authoritarianism.

Author

• Yinan Xu, Boston College