Accepted for/Published in: Journal of Medical Internet Research
Date Submitted: Apr 5, 2025
Date Accepted: Dec 29, 2025
Warning: This is an author submission that is not peer-reviewed or edited. Preprints - unless they show as "accepted" - should not be relied on to guide clinical practice or health-related behavior and should not be reported in news media as established information.
System-Justifying Agents on Social Media Upholding Gender Hierarchies and Institutional Norms: A Mixed-Method Analysis of the #MeToo Movement in the Entertainment Sector
ABSTRACT
Background:
This study explores the role of social media as a system justifier within the context of the #MeToo movement, particularly focusing on the Indian Entertainment Industry (IEI). Employing a mixed-methods approach, we analyze global Twitter data and conduct in-depth interviews with experts to examine the adverse effects of social media on the movement. Utilizing advanced text mining techniques on a corpus of 18,416 tweets, we reveal patterns of system justification that reinforce entrenched gender hierarchies and institutional norms. Our qualitative study, through in-depth interviews, produces a nuanced understanding of how experts across various academic sub-disciplines perceive the consequence of #MeTooIndia on the IEI. This research highlights the dual function of social media: empowering activism and perpetuating existing power dynamics. The study’s findings indicate that Gender System Justification and Institutional System Justification are the most prevalent types of system justifications in the #MeToo movement. The study provides insights for digital activists, policymakers, social media platforms, and academics to deepen understanding of sustaining digital movements.
Objective:
This study explores the role of social media as a system justifier within the context of the #MeToo movement, particularly focusing on the Indian Entertainment Industry (IEI).
Methods:
Employing a mixed-methods approach, we analyze global Twitter data and conduct in-depth interviews with experts to examine the adverse effects of social media on the movement.
Results:
. Our qualitative study, through in-depth interviews, produces a nuanced understanding of how experts across various academic sub-disciplines perceive the consequence of #MeTooIndia on the IEI. This research highlights the dual function of social media: empowering activism and perpetuating existing power dynamics.
Conclusions:
The study’s findings indicate that Gender System Justification and Institutional System Justification are the most prevalent types of system justifications in the #MeToo movement. The study provides insights for digital activists, policymakers, social media platforms, and academics to deepen understanding of sustaining digital movements.
Citation
