News/Research

Jen Schradie on #MeToo in the Daily Beast

24 Oct, 2017

Jen Schradie on #MeToo in the Daily Beast

In light of media mogul Harvey Weinstein's sexual harrassment and assault scandal, hundreds of thousands of women (and many men) have used the hashtag, #MeToo, to illustrate how common these narratives are in day-to-day life.

Schradie commented on the longevity of digital activism movements, and in particular, whether or not #MeToo will pass the test of endurance.

“Whether or not they have an online presence, the hashtags that tend to endure and become movements are also organizing on the ground, offline,” said Jen Schradie, a sociologist with the Institute for Advanced Study in Toulouse who studies digital activism. “They often have support and fundraising. I’m sure we’ll see over the next few days whether some organizations take up the #MeToo hashtag.”

According to Shradie, that’s how we distinguish the hashtag activism that prompts an effective social movement from the hashtag activism that fades with the news cycle.

Read the rest of The Daily Beast article here.