The Rhetorical Veil of Digital Anonymity

Abstract

Technology has changed dramatically in the 21st century. Perhaps one of the most noticeable technological shifts has been the rise of online social networking. These digital sites have opened space for voices that were long silenced, empowering them to create counterpublics that challenge dominant ideologies and build supportive communities of resistance. Feminist rhetoric tends to acknowledge these digital sites as vital battlegrounds in the fight against gender inequality. In particular, X, with features like hashtags and anonymity, has become a rhetorical space where women carry forward their feminist activism. In the Saudi Arabian context, this non-gendered digital space often offers women an opportunity to push back against and even redefine the boundaries imposed by cultural norms. At the same time, studies have shown that anonymity plays a key role in Saudi women's digital communication as it allows them to avoid social repercussions. Despite this, there is still a noticeable gap in the research regarding how Saudi women engage rhetorically in these online spaces. As a result, this dissertation responds to that gap and aligns with feminist rhetoric’s ongoing call to expand rhetorical frontiers by exploring the rhetorical practices of Saudi women. These practices are, more often than not, overlooked in both traditional Arabic rhetoric and feminist rhetorical studies. Using Feminist Poststructuralist Thematic Analysis, this dissertation unveils the rhetorical strategies Saudi women are employing in their feminist digital activism on X. It also looks at how anonymity acts as an Alternative Delivery System (ADS) that captures the specific cultural context of Saudi society.