Humlab Talk: Who's laughing now? Feminist tactics in social media

Thursday 16 February 15:00 - 17:00, Humlab

On Thursday 16 February, Jenny Sundén, professor of Gender Studies at Södertörns Högskola and Susanna Paasonen, professor of Media studies at Turku University will present their book "Who’s laughing now? Feminist tactics in social media" at Humlab

Online sexism, hate, and harassment aim to silence women through shaming and fear. In Who's Laughing Now? Jenny Sundén and Susanna Paasonen examine a somewhat counterintuitive form of resistance: humor. Sundén and Paasonen argue that feminist social media tactics that use humor, laughter, and a sense of the absurd to answer name-calling, offensive language, and unsolicited dick pics can rewire the affective circuits of sexual shame and acts of shaming.

Using laughter as both a theme and a methodological tool, Sundén and Paasonen explore examples of the subversive deployment of humor that range from @assholesonline to the Tumblr “Congrats, you have an all-male panel!” The contagiousness of laughter drives the emergence of networked forms of feminism, bringing people together (although it may also create rifts). Sundén and Paasonen break new ground in exploring the intersection of networked feminism, humor, and affect, arguing for the political necessity of inappropriate laughter.

This event is a collaboration between Humlab, Media and Communication Studies, and Sveriges Genusforskarförbund (SGF).

Read more about Humlab [here].