Discursive Strategies in Digital Arenas: A Critical Discourse Analysis of Contemporary Gender Activism

Abstract

This study examines the linguistic construction of digital activism within three transnational gender-oriented movements: #MeToo, the World March of Women, and the LGBTQI+ rights movement. While prior research has largely focused on the sociological impacts and mobilization strategies of digital activism, the present study addresses a distinct gap by providing a systematic analysis of the discursive constructions through which movements synergistically construct resistance. Grounded in the Discourse-Historical Approach, the research analyzed 24 text-based documents from official movement websites from 2023 to 2025. By means of qualitative critical discourse analysis, 885 instances of discursive strategies were identified, revealing a balanced and integrative matrix wherein strategies of nomination, predication, argumentation, perspectivization, and intensification function as a unified counter-hegemonic tool. Movements combine nomination and predication to revalorize marginalized actors while delegitimizing patriarchal and capitalist structures. Argumentation and perspectivization shift accountability onto systemic actors, thus fostering transnational solidarity. Notably, the analysis found a complete absence of linguistic mitigation; instead, movements rely on intensification to amplify moral urgency. The study concludes that these movements utilize discourse as a deliberate tool for counter-hegemonic resistance and systemic transformation. It recommends that advocates maintain structurally critical language to resist algorithmic dilution and encourages future research into multimodal and counter-movement strategies.