Jinsook Kim

This book examines how new modes of feminist activism in South Korea have contested the global phenomenon of misogyny over the past decade. While the hatred and toxicity that characterize this phenomenon can be seen as a hegemonic force making digital media inhospitable for marginalized groups, this study highlights the efforts and labor by feminist activists to counter this force and improve the conditions for women and marginalized groups amid the constraints imposed by and sheer volume of the abuse in digital cultures. With a theoretical basis in digital, feminist, and global media studies, it develops the notion of “sticky activism” as an analytical framework for describing feminist practices intended to create affective connections and solidarity, make long-lasting impacts, drive social change, and capture and maintain public engagement through creative media tactics. By employing a mixed methods approach combining analyses of digital media and interviews with feminist activists, this book argues that feminist activism in Korea has become “sticky” through the facilitation of collective resonance, the attraction of diverse users, the deployment of creative tactics, the performance of activist labor, and the transformation of cultural and social institutions.