Mainstreaming and transnationalization of anti-gender ideas through social media: the case of CitizenGO

Social media platforms can be effective tools for mainstreaming and transnationalization of radical positions. Anti-gender ideas have particularly gained traction transnationally in recent years. Despite extensive research on the anti-gender movement, the specific role of social media remains underexplored. How do anti-gender organizations use social media to strategically mainstream and transnationalize their agenda? This study addresses this overarching question by focusing on CitizenGO, a digital advocacy organization that holds a key position within the anti-gender transnational advocacy network. We examine its multilingual social media network and activities over a decade (2013–2022) using computational and digital methods. The findings indicate that CitizenGO uses a sophisticated network of social media accounts to coordinate and amplify anti-gender messages across different languages and regions. The study suggests that CitizenGO’s strategic use of social media is aimed at mainstreaming and globalizing anti-gender agendas, contributing new insights into the mechanisms of digital advocacy and the transnational expansion of anti-gender networks.

社交媒体平台可成为激进立场主流化与跨国传播的高效工具。近年来，反性别（anti-gender）理念尤其在跨国范围内获得了广泛传播。尽管学界已对反性别（anti-gender）运动开展了大量研究，但社交媒体在其中的具体作用仍有待深入探索。反性别组织究竟如何借助社交媒体，系统性地推动自身议程的主流化与跨国传播？本研究以反性别跨国倡导网络中的核心数字倡导组织CitizenGO为研究对象，旨在解答这一核心议题。本研究采用计算与数字研究方法，对该组织2013年至2022年十年间的多语言社交媒体网络及相关活动展开分析。研究结果显示，CitizenGO借助一套精密的社交媒体账号网络，实现跨语言、跨区域的反性别信息协调与传播放大。本研究表明，CitizenGO对社交媒体的策略性运用旨在推动反性别议程的主流化与全球化，这为理解数字倡导机制以及反性别网络的跨国扩张提供了全新研究视角。