Dumais, K. (2015). The Quest for Social Change in Digital Storytelling: An Evaluation of Hollaback! Solutions 6(4): 33-37. https://thesolutionsjournal.com/article/the-quest-for-social-change-in-digital-storytelling-an-evaluation-of-hollaback/
Perspectives The Quest for Social Change in Digital Storytelling: An Evaluation of Hollaback! by Katherine Dumais
S
ince the dawn of the Internet, digital storytelling and new media have been integral parts of the feminist movement. From the creation of feministing.org to Crunk Feminist Collective to large-scale Twitter protests, third-wave feminism is based as much in online communities as it is in on-the-ground activist work. Nowhere has this been more poignant than with the sharing of experiences of sexual assault and harassment, exposing stories such as Emma Sulkowicz’s ‘Carry That Weight’ and Angie Epifano’s ‘An Account of Sexual Assault at Amherst College,’ as well as a variety of stories from universities and students across the nation.1,2 With the emergence of the smartphone globally, many in the contemporary feminist movement have flocked to the new medium, setting up a preponderance of new story sharing and safety apps, the most high profile of which is Hollaback!. When Gloria Steinem, a trailblazing feminist leader in the 1960’s and 1970’s, was asked which current feminist leaders she admired and felt were bringing the movement forward, she responded, “Emily May of Hollaback!, who has empowered women in the street, literally.”3 Hollaback! is a movementbuilding social enterprise working in 92 cities, 32 countries, and 18 different languages, which seeks, through its app and online blog, to create a space in which women and the LGBTQ community can share and address their experiences with sexual assault, creating accountability and fostering support.4,5 Sexual harassment creates fear and insecurity in public spaces, as well as self-blame and victim shaming from
Emily May
Hollaback! encourages victims of street harassment to share their stories, joining a community geared towards empowering individuals.
society at large. According to a US national survey, 65 percent of women reported experiencing at least one type of street harassment in their lifetimes.6 While the most pervasive form was a verbal assault, the survey states, “41%
of all women [surveyed] had experienced physically aggressive forms, including sexual touching (23%), following (20%), flashing (14%), and being forced to do something sexual (9%).”7 Hollaback! believes
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