Algorithmic Visibilities of Feminism on Social Platforms

Abstract

This article describes the development and the main findings of an research project that addresses the visibility of the digital public expression of feminism on four social platforms: Twitter, Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube. Said visibility is regulated by the operation of the automated recommendation systems of the digital platforms, which decide what can be made visible and what is not based on automatized recommendations, or algorithms, functioning based on reaction metrics, such as "likes," comments, retweets and the views of a publication. To demonstrate it, three relevant hashtags, #abortolegal, #niunamenos and #justiciapara(name of the victim) were analyzed. Based on digital methods and data feminism initiatives, digital techniques for data collection, processing, and visualization were used. The learning phase of these methodologies in a data laboratory is also described. The findings show, on the one hand, three different logics that govern the visibility of digital expression on social platforms and, on the other, the power of algorithms is inherent in each situation and the elements that are part of it.