Creating Connection Through the Screen: Reflections on Symmetry, Vulnerability, and the Methodological Affordances of Technology-Mediated Research on Online Misogyny

This article reflects on the methodological and emotional dimensions of conducting ethnographic research on online misogyny through technology-mediated encounters. Drawing on research about online misogyny against climate justice activists, I explore how this format, following interlocutors’ preferences, enabled forms of connection and nuance that would not have been possible if we had met in person. I argue that it afforded participants greater control over the interview environment and the visibility they granted me, reshaping power relations, enabling more symmetrical interactions, and opening up spaces for reflections on online misogyny within a wider constellation of struggles. Methodologically, the paper examines both the opportunities and risks of technology-mediated conversations when researching sensitive topics, including the potential for over-disclosure and the danger of reproducing the power dynamics we seek to avoid. Reflecting on my own positionality as a woman researching online misogyny “at home”, I discuss how embracing my own vulnerability became part of building rapport, while continuous “emotional management” was necessary to process the emotional weight of the fieldwork. I suggest that technology-mediated interactions should not be seen as a replacement for face-to-face research but as a context-sensitive method that, in certain cases, uniquely facilitates engagement with sensitive topics and vulnerable interlocutors.