DigitALL: make online space safer for women
On March 8 every year, the world celebrates women and their achievements. It is also a day to reflect on how governments, organisations, and individuals can make the world a better place for women to flourish and attain their dreams without barriers—mostly by ending gender-based violence and striving for equality and equity.
Women remain marginalised in decision-making processes and positions. As a result, women’s voices are rarely heard or if they try to scream to be heard, they are easily dismissed as being too emotional.
Platforms that can amplify and articulate women’s voices and aspirations remain dominated by men and little effort is made to give women a chance to be heard. However, in the last decades, it must be noted, technological innovations, mostly the Internet, have made it possible for people to articulate their aspirations and express themselves via channels such as social media platforms where they can form their own women groups.
Social media has established new ways of communicating and creating perceptions between businesses and consumers, organisations and their audiences, and political offices and their electorates.
However, the Internet is filled with misogyny and attacks on women, especially those who dare to speak their minds. This has led to most women shying away from using the internet resulting in the muting of women’s voices.
Women, especially those vying for political positions and other public offices, are yet to fully embrace the digital space as a place where they can mobilise their electorates and articulate their views because of fear of being bullied and ridiculed.
It is important to make the digital space a safer place for women because, in this digital age, online presence and visibility are somehow, equated to offline presence. These days, people often look on the Internet for names of their aspiring political candidates to see what else they have in their lives and any piece of information regarding them. Therefore, if women shy away from online presence, they automatically erase their digital footprint and history. No one can dispute the power of social media to shape people’s perceptions and opinions towards a particular person, and Malawian politics is all about perception and visibility. Making the online space safer for women will also mean a safer place for everyone.
So, is this women’s month, make digital space safer, inclusive and more equitable not only for women but for all.
