‘Why should we turn to fascists in their own language?’ Affordances and constraints of networked counterpublics as experienced by the group members

The emergence of social networking sites (SNSs) and new media has led to scholarly interest in the possibilities they offer for creating counter publics - discursive arenas where subordinated groups invent and circulate counterdiscourses in opposition to the dominant ideology. However, most empirical research has focused on describing discursive strategies used in counterpublics and analyzing networks of specific movements or organizations, while the perception and experiences of group members remain largely unexplored. To fill this research gap, this study analyzes the internal negotiations surrounding the Facebook page 'Write it down! I am an Arab,' which serves as a counterpublic for Arab citizens of Israel. The study employs two methods: (1) interviews with 14 participants of the 'Write it down! I am an Arab' Facebook page, and (2) a thematic analysis of 1,529 comments made by Arab respondents on the same page. The findings reveal a complex understanding of the counter public, defined by internal contradictions among group members concerning its goals and pragmatics, and especially its orientation or position. While the page participants view it as a subversive platform and an alternative means to access the dominant public sphere, many commenters consider the act of addressing the Jewish public as subservient, perpetuating and normalizing prevailing power dynamics. These findings highlight that counterpublics are not homogeneous structures automatically granted natural legitimacy by the group members, and that the counterpublic's position or orientation is a crucial factor in the discursive negotiations taking place within the group.