Edward Elgar Publishing Handbook on Gender and Digital Media (International Handbooks on Gender series)

This timely Handbook explores the intersection between gender and digital media, examining how virtual platforms both challenge and reinforce traditional gender norms and inequalities. Taking an interdisciplinary approach, it reflects on key issues such as gendered digital labor, self-expression and intersectionality in cyberspaces. Leading and emerging international scholars discuss how gender identities are portrayed in virtual environments, addressing issues of stereotyping and visibility for marginalized groups. They demonstrate how digital platforms have become crucial tools for gender and LGBTQIA+ activism and investigate how feminist theories critique and reshape virtual infrastructures. Chapters delve into detailed case studies including Christian lifestyle creators and their influence on women; affective masculinity in video games; the normalization of misogyny within the manosphere; and how Afghan women's rights activists use digital technologies for community building. The Handbook ultimately advocates for greater critical engagement and activism regarding the role of digital media in shaping perceptions of gender and power. Students and scholars of family and gender, media studies, digital sociology and communication will greatly benefit from this expansive Handbook. It is also a crucial resource for activists involved in digital advocacy and feminist movements, as well as practitioners, professionals and policymakers in technology, media and digital industries.