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Third and Fourth Wave Feminism are academically argued waves of feminism, as their qualities aren’t as apparent as First and Second Wave Feminism. In this post, I will dive into the concepts of zines and how digital zines and social media have impacted Fourth Wave Feminism in the 2010s and early 2020s. In the article, “Zine Infrastructures as Forms of Organizing Within Feminist Social Movements” by Maggie Matich, Elizabeth Parsons, and Rachel Ashman, the authors explore “how feminist social movements are organized and re-generated across and through different media, both online and offline, using the example of zines” (Matich et al., 2023, p. 1049). In this 6-year-long research study, the authors defined Fourth Wave Feminism through the use of digital activism, including cyberfeminism. 

Throughout history, zines have been used to self-publish “resistive texts” in order to allow for the accessibility of education within social movements (Matich et al., 2023, p. 1050). Zines are known as infrastructures of social movements, being able to spread the word about what a group is passionate about. Self-publishing as an activist format (such as zines or pamphlets) “can be traced as far back as the late 1700s,” with zines becoming popularized in the 1970s through the 1990s, sharing “the stories, and lived experiences of people of color, women, and queer subjects” (Matich et al., 2023, p. 1051). Knowing that zines became more popular in the 1970s through the 1990s, we can see they were used as “resistive texts” through Second and Third Wave Feminism. 

The Fourth Wave started in the 2010s with the rise of social media activism and other online-based zine communities. Websites such as Polyester and gal-dem (the two sites analyzed in the article I chose for this paper) use the outreach of social media and website pages to their advantage, reaching audiences on a global scale. The content of these digital platforms is “niche and focused on queer, feminist subculture, fashion, and art” (Matich et al., 2023, p. 1054). With Fourth Wave Feminism consisting of the 2010s and 2020s, many of the individuals who are running these digitized zines and social media campaigns are younger generations, with the research article stating, “The individuals who founded and created Polyester and gal-dem all herald from a Gen Z or millennial generation, who have grown up ‘on the internet’ and whose media consumption is characterized by the consumption of streaming services, social media, and endlessly new content” (Matich et al., 2023, p. 1059). Gen Z and millennials were raised surrounded by the emergence of the internet and social media, so it makes sense that Fourth Wave Feminism takes a digitized pivot for the movement. 

Next, accessibility is a key feature of these digital platforms. Matich et al. discuss the costs of printing a traditional zine versus the digitized format, stating, “Free to use social media sites and low-cost website builders allowed our zinesters to create a space with minimal set up costs, low barriers to entry and largely freedom of expression” (Matich et al., 2023, p. 1061). I can honestly say that I do not know how much it would be to mass produce/print zines, but I do know how much it would cost to open a webpage for a digital zine since I personally own one. To buy the URL, it costs $10, and depending on which WordPress theme you decide to buy and customize, you’re looking at about $60 more. My website cost me $70 to build, but I also have a computer programmer for a father, so I didn’t have to pay anyone to customize and set up the website for me. Next, the authors analyzed the use of web pages creating agency for zinesters, writing that “they were able to increase their agency through their use of the internet in setting up their zines” (Matich et al., 2023, p. 1061). Agency for zinesters is crucial because it allows them to speak freely and reach audiences almost instantly. By posting on the internet and on social media platforms, zine authors have direct access to audiences anytime and anywhere, leading to more accessibility and more social change. 

After discussing the webpages, the authors analyzed the use of digitized zines in characterizing the Fourth Wave of the Feminist Movement. They discussed re-generating feminism through the “constant versioning of technologies, media, institutions, and the historical patterning of individual subjectivities” (Matich et al., 2023, p. 1068). Feminism is re-generated during each wave, as the movement changes and develops. These changes include becoming more intersectional and diverse in world feminist topics, not just local or national feminist struggles. Digitized zines and blogs contribute to Fourth Wave Feminism since the younger generations of feminists are more likely to interact with content that is online. 

Last year, I won the Lorch Award for feminist activism through my Plan B events and this blog. Locally, I have contributed to the Feminist Movement through my Plan B events where I have handed out hundreds of boxes of Free Plan B to Canisius University students over the past two years. On a more global scale, I have contributed to the Feminist Movement through my blog (or digital zine), Gender Gazette. As a Communications major with a concentration on media analysis (specifically media analysis of gender and sexuality), “I aim to dissect the narratives, representations, and biases that permeate our screens and news feeds. Through thought-provoking analysis, I explore how gender influences and is influenced by the media landscape” (Nagel, 2023). This blog looks into news, books, TV shows, movies, and other media topics that impact the feminist and queer communities. This brings me to Matich et al.’s final point about digital zines, writing that “a much wider and globalized shift in intersectional feminism, one which is heavy on reflexive, strategic intent, and light on a naive engagement with differing media forms” (Matich et al., 2023, p. 1068). Moving to online forms of self-published zines allows for accessibility, especially with intersectional or marginalized groups. Creating free or nearly free alternatives to feminist education is crucial for the movement to grow and survive (bell hooks explains this in Feminism Is For Everybody). 

The research done in “Zine Infrastructures as Forms of Organizing Within Feminist Social Movements” by Maggie Matich, Elizabeth Parsons, and Rachel Ashman helps audiences such as myself better understand how Fourth Wave Feminism is evolving into the digital age, with blogs, digital zines, and social media sharing in order to educate and inform Gen Z and millennials about what is happening in the world around them. As a Strategic Communications major, I have studied the impact of social media on children and teens, including the impacts on their mental health, the polarization of social media algorithms, and how social media is used as a news source and a way to educate Gen Z on the world around us. Most Gen Z people receive their news via social media platforms like Instagram, and not from the New York Times or Buffalo News, so it is important to study and understand how growing up in this age affects and impacts Gen Z and their activism journeys. 

In my Lorch speech last semester, I briefly spoke on social media activism, among other topics, stating, “Activism is about action, not just about posting on social media. It includes showing up, voting, protesting, and so much more. Thoughts and prayers aren’t enough. Policy and change are what is needed to achieve gender justice. As someone whose whole career is focused on social media marketing and communications, it is important to realize that social media can only do so much. Especially with the current representatives and elected officials who are responsible for policy change… they aren’t looking at everyone’s Instagram stories to see how the general public feels. But, they are looking at the crowds who show up for protests and at the polls” (Nagel, 2023). While I agree that social media is paving the path for Gen Z and Fourth Wave Feminism, it is also crucial to be visible to representatives who aren’t watching you repost a reproductive rights poster on your Instagram story. 

This research has impacted my views slightly on this subject, as I had stated in my Lorch speech last year social media is not enough to make change, because I do believe that social media unifies the feminist issues around the world and can be beneficial in mobilizing feminist groups, yet, it depends on how the person uses their voice online. With my experience hosting Plan B events and writing articles for Gender Gazette, I feel like reading this research study has empowered me as a Gen Z feminist to continue what I am doing because every small particle of water makes up the “wave” that is Fourth Wave Feminism.