‘Counter-Plastics’ of Online Misogyny

Art-based Reflections of Youth on Digital Society, Gender, and Vulnerability in Norway

Resumé

Based on creative ethnographic methods, this paper explores young people’s emotional archives as they navigate the complexities of digital society, gender and sexuality-based vulnerabilities in the context of “digital patriarchy”. It also discusses the potential of art-based methods, which we coin as stamping poetry, not only as an innovative tool for ethnographic
research but also as a means of resilience and a pedagogical strategy. In other terms, how can a future-oriented, “response-able”, ethically and politically engaged methodological approach
be mobilized among young people as a self-reflective experience, using objects, spaces, and symbols, to counter anti-democratic circulation paths? Drawing from creative art sessions with university students living in Norway – focusing on their work, presentations, messages, and plastic engagements – this paper aims to understand how youth navigate discussions on digital cultures, misogyny, and the “pros and cons” of new communication technologies. It illustrates how these discussions evoke a spectrum of emotional responses – such as fear, anger, hope, disgust, and empathy – while also showcasing creativity  as a powerful medium for fostering critical voices and creating positive echo- and “optic chambers”. Ultimately, the study demonstrates how art-based methods such as stamping poetry can make affective, embodied, and symbolic registers of digital misogyny analyzable, offering both an innovative methodological contribution
and new insights into how affective engagements generate resilience, resistance, and alternative digital futures.