Between Streets, Hashtags, and Submerged Networks

Latency and Visibility in Feminist Activism

Abstract

Far from being limited to the logic of superficial spectacularization often attributed to digital networks, feminist mobilizations in Brazil between 2013 and 2018 reveal a complex articulation between the intimate sphere and collective action. This article draws on social movement theory and feminist critiques of the public/private dichotomy (Miguel & Biroli, 2014; Melucci, 1989) to analyze how the viralization of feminist campaigns on social media results from the interdependence between latency and visibility. Based on the concept of "submerged networks," it argues that feminist digital activism is grounded in spaces of symbolic and affective construction — such as blogs, fanpages, and especially closed Facebook groups — which operate as subaltern counterpublics (Fraser, 1999), challenging the discursive exclusion of women from the hegemonic public sphere. In these spaces, personal experiences are politicized and transformed into collective narratives, producing repertoires of action that overflow into widely visible campaigns such as #MeuPrimeiroAssédio, #MeuAmigoSecreto, and #MeuMotoristaAbusador. By exploring the interplay of affect, networks, and language in online feminist practices, this investigation contributes to the debate on the limits and possibilities of the contemporary public sphere from the perspective of feminist political theory.