Title: “Bitter bitches and incels” - A qualitative study about how the conflict between feminists and antifeminists is expressed in discussion forums at Flashback

Authors: Ella Östman Skala and Molly Lindman 

The purpose of this study is to examine the conflict between feminists and antifeminists and how it is expressed on the internet through interaction at the discussion forum Flashback. We also aim to shed particular light to the antifeminist approach to the feminist movement in order to contribute to a greater understanding of the nature of the conflict as well as to gain an idea of the reasoning behind the resistance. Our data is collected through a qualitative method in the form of netnography where we observe six discussion forums online. The theoretical perspectives that are used in order to interpret the empirical data are: Wettergren & Jamison´s (2013) understanding of social movements, Gemzöe´s definitions of feminist orientations (2002), Mollwing´s definitions of antifeminist orientations (2021) as well as Brown´s (1988) theory about intergroup conflict and Allport´s (1979) contact hypothesis. Theoretical concepts that came to be crucial in our understanding of the conflict and its aspects were stereotyping, incompatible goals, collective identity and structural tensions.  The results of the study shows that the expression of the conflict can be understood through the following three fundamental aspects: the occurrence of different perceptions about the significance of feminism, attribution of negative characteristics as well as stereotypes to each other and lastly, disagreements about whether today's society can be considered equal or not. Feminists tend to argue that the society we live in today still requires development for us to be able to entitle ourselves as equal, and the feminist movement is seen to be striving to achieve this equality between the sexes. As a result of this, feminists are assigned negative attributes by antifeminists, such as being annoying, incomprehensible and unnecessary. Antifeminists however claim that feminism cannot be equated with gender equality as the movement has undergone a radicalization that results in feminism being interpreted as a man hating movement that only favors women and therefore oppresses men. The society we live in today is by antifeminists perceived to be equal since a long way back, which makes the continued feminist battle unjustified. As a consequence of this antifeminists are, by feminists assigned with characteristics such as being misogynistic, conservative, diminishing and deniers of a major societal problem. The process of attributing negative characteristics to one another indicates that there is a will to distance themselves from each other that goes beyond the natural distancing that occurs as a part of the dynamics between two groups.