Empowering or Silencing: The #MeToo Campaign in Retrospect

In 2017 the hashtag #MeToo went viral. Whilst the #hashtag campaign’s awareness-raising success is compelling, there is also evidence of both active and passive silencing taking place within specific contexts. Thematic analysis of #MeToo tweets shared between October 2017 and November 2019 showed that, although privileged voices are still often heard first and loudest, at the same time there can also be silencing on multiple levels from multiple sources. Within the #MeToo Twitter campaign over time there were organic and organised backlashes, as well as surveillance practices and platform algorithms that may have restricted participation. Examples included dismissal of those sharing their experiences, tone policing, victim blaming, claims of false accusations and trolling. These tactics led to the silencing and subsequent symbolic annihilation of both the individuals and issues being raised. This research explores the narrative presented by Twitter algorithms in relation to the #MeToo campaign and highlights how politicisation subsequently derailed the movement.