Lookingattwi+er,speaker6arguesthat#yesallwomenrepresentsadifferentkindofdigitalac<vism:construc<ve,viral,embodiedtes<monyratherthanepistemicinterven<on.

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IslaVistaMurdersOnMay23,2014,ElliotRodger,a22-year-oldstudentatSantaBarbaraCityCollege,murderedhisthreeroommates,thendrovetothesororityhousesjustoffthecampusofthenearbyUniversityofCaliforniaatSantaBarbara.There,heshotthreewomenoutsidetheirsororityhouse,twoofwhomdiedoftheirwounds.Fromthere,hedrovearoundSantaBarbara–seeminglyatrandom–shoo<ngatbuildingsandbystanders(oneofwhomdied)andhiUngpedestrianswithhisvehicle.Whenpolicefinallylocatedhisvehicle,theyfoundRodgersinside,deadofaself-inflictedgunshotwound.Betweenmurderinghisroommatesandshoo<ngthethreewomeninfrontoftheirsororityhouse,RodgeruploadedavideotoYouTubeandemailedoutadiatribeinwhichhedetailshismo<vesfortheseriesofpersonalandrandoma+acksthatleZsixdeadandfourteenwounded.Hehadbeen,hesaid,rejectedbywomen,who“gavetheiraffec<on,andsexandlovetoothermenbutneverto”him.

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AsthingsoZendointhe2010s,fear,anger,andexplana<onsforthemurdersexplodedontoTwi+er.IntheimmediateaZermathofRodger’sspreeandthewidespreaddiscoveryofhismisogynistYouTubeuploadsandmanifesto,onlineconversa<onquicklyreturnedtoanalltoopopularthemewhenitcomestoviolenceagainstwomen:thedefensivereminderthatnotallmenarelikeRodgers.#NotAllMen,alreadyanestablishedhashtagpriortotheIslaVistamurders,reemerged.

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menconcernedthatwomen’sangerwouldbecometoobroadlystrewn,theysoughttopre-emp<velyremindwomenthat#notallmenweremurderingwomen.Notallmenwereangryandabusive.Not.All.Men.

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Insteadofpre-emp<ngconversa<onsabouttheroleofmenintheperpetua<onofmisogyny,#NotAllMenproducedanalmostimmediateresponsefromwomenwearyoftheall-too-predictableconversa<onturn.Thesefirstresponses,hashtagged#YesAllWomen,tellthestoryofwhatit’sliketobe,tolive,towork,toact,aswomanconstantlyfacewithyourownphysicalandemo<onalvulnerability.

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As#YesAllWomengainedsteamonline,SarahWeiss,wri<ngfortheNewYorker,argued,thattheemergingconversa<onsandnarra<veswereafunc<onofTwi+erasarhetoricalandcomposi<onalspace:“ThereissomethingaboutthefactthatTwi+erisprimarilydesignedforspeech—forshort,strong,declara<veu+erance—thatmakesitanespeciallypowerfulvehicleforac<vism,aplaceoflibera<on.”AsWeissalsonotes,thekindsoftweetsmakingupthe#YesAllWomenspacewereuniquelypersonal,specific,andnarra<velypowerful.

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Insteadofmakingargumentsabouttheharmofmisogyny,abouthowitdoesviolence–physical,emo<onal,mental,andemo<onal–towomenandtomen,womentoldstorieson#yesallwomen.

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Theyofferedbriefsnapshotsoftheirdailylives.

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Theydescribedthefear–inculcatedfrompubertyorbeforebywell-meaningadults–thataccompaniesgrowingupasawoman.

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Theytalkedabouttheirownsexualassaults.Theytalkedaboutwhatit’sliketofeelconstantly,consistentlyvulnerable.

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Thiskindofstorytellingisaway,I’dargue,ofre-embodyingthemselvesindigitalspace.AsJennySundénnotesinher2003bookMaterialVirtuali0es,“thevirtualdoesnotautoma<callyequatetodisembodiment”(5).

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LissaHolloway-A+awaymakesacomplementaryargument.Wri<nginDigitalHumani0esQuarterlyin2012,Holloway-A+awayarguesthatsocialmediaspacescanbestbeseenasmixedrealityspaces,neitherfullydigitalnorfullybodily.Becauseofthis“mixedreality”orienta<on,shesays,thesespacesoffer“possibili<esfordis/playingone’sself,forperformingone’sexperiences”incomplexways(Holloway-A+away).

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themselvesinendlesscombina<onsandrela<onships.Theseactsofrela<oncreate"complexmediatedlifeworldswhereinscrip<onisnolongerametaphoricprac<cebutanactof(pre-)self/real-worldenvironmentalcoupling,inadequatetobeviewedfromtheperspec<veofdiscursiverepresenta<on"(Holloway-A+away).

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Similarly,Sundenargues,thevirtualmightbestbeseenasan“extensionofthecorporeal”ratherthanan“incarna<onofthetextual”(109).Thestorytellingweseein#YesAllWomencallsoura+en<ontothemovementofbodiesinspace;itforcesustoa+endtothecorporealratherthanjustthetextual.Insteadofawispyephemera,thesewomen-rhetorshaveheZ.They…

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Walkalone

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Makeeyecontactandtakelunchbreaks

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Speakbackandhavebodies

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Theyneedtoprotectthosebodies.

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Theyarestaredatbystrangersastheywalkthestreets.

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Theygotobars.

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Theycarrykeysandwalkhome.

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Theywearglasses.

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Theywearshorts.Theyaregroped.Harassed.

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Violated.Thesayyes.Theysayno.Theseareconcretewomen.Theytellstories,andwiththesestories,reinscribetheirbodilyiden<tyinthisvirtualspace.Andindoingso–inmakingthemselvesmorephysicallypresent,theyforceustoseethemmoreclearly.

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