"Are you me?": understanding the political potential of feminist identity spaces on Reddit during the COVID-19 pandemic.

This article critically analyzes the r/workingmoms subreddit as a digital "identity space" where employed mothers from primarily Western countries shared experiences and feminist critiques during the early COVID-19 pandemic (March–May 2020). The subreddit provided a supportive environment for women to express frustrations related to intensified domestic and workplace inequalities, patriarchal family dynamics, and capitalist structures, while fostering a sense of solidarity among users. However, the study argues that the platform's affordances—such as anonymity, focus on a singular identity category, and semi-enclosed nature—limit the political and activist potential of such spaces by restricting intersectional and cross-group coalition-building. Drawing on Lauren Berlant's concept of "cruel optimism," the authors suggest that while these identity spaces offer emotional support and a sense of community, they may also create a hopeful but ultimately constrained form of feminist solidarity that falls short of broader social change.