Webinar with Kristina Wilfore

Thursday 20 November | 15:00 CET | Zoom

Description

The rise of anti-feminist narratives online isn’t just a cultural backlash—it’s part of a broader political strategy to weaponize gender, polarize societies, and erode democratic norms. It’s no overstatement to say that women in politics face "gendered information warfare” today.

Social media platforms have played a central role in this phenomenon, thanks to a profit model that helps misogynist voices gain traction and build audiences, manufacturing a more polarized online environment by design. As a result, these extremists have been an increasingly influential force in shaping gender politics and cultural discourse.  

Kristina Wilfore is the Director of Innovation and Global Projects at Reset Tech and the co-founder of #ShePersisted, an organization working to foster a healthier online space for women and advance women’s equal participation in politics and civic life worldwide. She will lead this webinar that will explore how digital platforms amplify misogyny for profit, how far-right movements are recruiting young men through grievance and manipulation, and why empathy, early intervention, and inclusive messaging are key to countering anti-women narratives and disinformation.

It’s time to find a new script. We need to be aware of the risks of talking about “toxic masculinity” and other terms co-opted by misogynistic actors. In this discussion we’ll explore how to shift towards constructive language that revolves around values, freedom from manipulation, and choices about the kind of world we want to live in.

This session will support participants to:

• Identify the economic, social and cultural dynamics underpinning the proliferation of anti-women narratives online.

• Understand the connection between malign narratives and malign online behavior and how these sustain and reinforce one another.

• Approach research as a strategic tool for intervention, not just observation.

• Shift from “admiring the problem” to designing strategic responses—building coalitions that include men as allies, promoting courageous masculinity, and embedding digital resilience into campaign communication strategies to defend equality and democratic participation.

Speakers

Speaker: Kristina Wilfore

Biography:

Kristina Wilfore is a seasoned international development, elections, and communications specialist with deep expertise in designing and leading training programs that build democratic resilience. She has trained more than 2000 women politicians, journalists, and activists across 25+ countries, equipping them with the skills to organize people, counter disinformation, strengthen digital security, and engage in inclusive political leadership. From Western and Eastern Europe to the Americas, East Africa, and Middle East, Kristina has developed curricula, led high-level workshops, and facilitated strategy sessions with political parties, governments, philanthropies, and civil society organizations. As Director of Innovation and Global Projects at Reset Tech, she spearheads initiatives at the intersection of election integrity, masculinity, political violence, and information resilience, ensuring that capacity-building remains at the core of these efforts. In 2021, she co-founded #ShePersisted, an initiative that trains and supports women leaders to confront digital harms—recognizing these attacks as threats to both democracy and human rights.