Online Misogyny: Interpreting the First Amendment in a Digital World

Misogynistic propaganda is not a new concept, but with the establishment of the internet, it has become especially rampant. Over the years, the internet and online platforms have radically grown in performance and influence, and have fundamentally changed how society interacts and communicates. Despite this, many of the fundamental ways gender discrimination is platformed and affects women have not changed. Misogyny has always been a societal issue, but now, with the changes in online communication, it has taken a new form, one that is massively unregulated. The under-regulation of violent and misogynistic online vitriol demonstrates the need to reevaluate what “freedom of speech” constitutes, especially in an age where the spread of information is increasingly extremist and fast-paced.