Lobbyism plays a large part in the decision-making process in the European Union. Several interest groups have moved over to obtaining political influence through social media in the last few years. This report asks whether this online activity is a part of their lobbying strategies towards the European Union or not. The report draws upon existing conceptual frameworks of lobbying strategies to analyse whether and, if so, how the two women’s rights organisations, the European Women’s Lobby and Young Feminist Europe, use social media as a part of their lobbying towards the European Union. It explores the activity, visibility, and outreach of the two women’s rights organisations and looks at the use of features like attachments and hashtags. The paper examines whether social media is a ‘weapon of the weak’ and if it can replace traditional lobbying strategies. This study is done through a mapping exercise of the posts that the two organisations publish on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter, a content analysis of the organisations’ posts, and an interview. The report contributes to a deeper understanding of how interest groups in the European Union can use social media to lobby and highlights the differences between two women’s organisations in the usage and significance of social media. The main argument of the report is that both the European Women’s Lobby and Young Feminist Europe use social media as a part of their lobbying strategies. However, it is more vital to Young Feminist Europe than the European Women’s Lobby.
Full info
ARENA Report 6/22 (pdf) (110 pages)
Women’s Mobilisation in the Digital Era: Lobbying and Advocating for European Women’s Rights
Emilie Faarup Storvik
September 2022