The limits of digital liberation: The social locations of gang-affiliated girls and women in the digital streets

Abstract

This study investigates the social network structure of an online gang forum, focusing on the social location of gang-affiliated girls and women in the “digital streets.” Existing studies highlight how gang members use social media for masculine posturing and promoting violent identities, but there is a significant gap in understanding the digital engagement of girls and women in gangs. Specifically, few studies have directly examined the network positionality of girls and women through social network analysis of digital data. Our research addresses this gap by analyzing user-to-user interactions on a public Facebook page popular among Chicago-area gang members, circa 2015–2016 (4231 positive and negative interactions across 37,403 comments from 6829 user profiles). Digital platforms could offer a space where girls and women who claim gang affiliation can be liberated from analog constraints in establishing gang centrality. Findings indicate, however, that girls and women remain in peripheral network positions, undermining the liberation hypothesis. Our findings challenge optimistic narratives about the liberating potential of social media, underscore the persistence of misogyny in gang culture, and contribute to understanding how digitalization affects gang dynamics.