How Abuse and Harassment Marginalize Female Political Voices on Social Media

Social media present an arena where formerly politically marginalised groups of citizens can voice their concerns, as well as empower traditionally disadvantaged candidates. As such, the enthusiasts of social media see it as an excellent forum to create a more democratic and level playing ground for both political insiders and outsiders. Female candidates, who have historically suffered from gendered coverage in the traditional news media and faced subsequent electoral disadvantages, have powerfully integrated social media into their campaigns. Yet, social media have not necessarily proven more 'women-friendly' than the old means of electoral communication, as women authors tend to be treated differently by commenters and receive more abuse on social media sites. We investigate whether reliance on unfiltered communication limiting gendered coverage comes at a price of facing incivility, which can have detrimental effects on the victims and on the health of democratic representation and participation more generally. Using Tweets collected during recent electoral campaigns in four EU member states, we analyse interactions between citizens and candidates to understand whether gender-based abuse is linked to specific political content and investigate the underlying mechanisms how harassment marginalises female political voices. The results hold implications for our understanding of the ways in which elite-public interactions via modern communication tools affect democratic representation.