Framing Femicide: A Comparative Textual Analysis of Social Media Advocacy

Femicide, a hate crime that involves the killing of women by men for gendered reasons, is a growing issue in several countries across the world. This study applies insights from sociological theories and the existing femicide awareness process to categorize types of advocacy for femicide awareness in Mexico, where femicide remains an elevated risk for many women. This study contrasts social media activism undertaken on Instagram versus Twitter given the differences between these platforms (i.e., posting rules, media environment, etc.). Specifically, analyses evaluate the differences between platforms on how well they exemplify key components in the femicide awareness process, as well as the audience size they reach. Furthermore, additional thematic analysis reveals themes that are missed by the existing femicide awareness process, which includes gender, machismo, and four categories of advocacy (personal, local and community, political and national, and media).