Language, Power and Patriarchal Silencing: A Man-Made Language Study of Male Comments on Female Influencers Instagram Posts

Abstract

This research investigates the role of language in the production of patriarchal power-relations within social media interactions. The present study focuses on understanding the ways gender language has been used to produce unequal relationships on Instagram. Drawing on Dale Spender’s theory of man- made language, the study analyses the ways in which male oriented linguistic practices shape women’s presence, behavior and voice in online environment. The data consists of comments collected from selected Instagram posts shared by female content creators. The analysis was conducted using a critical discourse analysis approach to demystify dominant patterns of gendered language. The analysis shows that patriarchal power is normalized and women voices are frequently undermined and silenced while male authority is legitimized. Future researchers should expand the scope of analysis by examining a large sample across multiple social media platforms.