Trivandrum, 06 April, 2023:: As we transition to the digital era, using social media has become second nature to us. However, the internet is often used as a tool to perpetuate violence against women and minorities. Social media platforms today have made women feel more violated than ever as statistics reveal that 48% of women report being the target of online abuse. According to a study of 51 nations for the UN Women's Gender Snapshot 2022 indicated that 38% of women have in some manner experienced online harassment. coto- a global social community, #WomenforWomen platform is working along the same lines by fostering digital safe spaces for women, where they can come together to express, engage, and earn. With over 5000 communities, coto is a free and responsible online platform founded/based on the principles of decentralisation, transparency, and trust. It is a collaboration between content creation and community building, in which every user holds actual value and ownership of the content that they create.
In a recent virtual meet with women in Trivandrum, Monica M. Alankar, coto City Ambassador, addressed the issues women face in the online space. She introduced the experts on the virtual meet – Manikutty, a marketer, Dr. Likha Rajan, Doctor & Model, Nisha Merlyn, Social Media Content Supervisor, Megha Padmakumar, Model and Content creator, Nidhi Sudhan, Responsible Tech Advocate & Co-Founder, Citizen Digital Foundation. The session’s objective was to come together and introduce the experts of the community to its members while discussing the larger purpose of building this coto community for the local women of Trivandrum.
The session shed light on the various communities' coto harbours for its users centered around social impact, women empowerment, marketing, wellness, entrepreneurship, and more. The women discussed how important it is for them to uplift each other and celebrate their successes no matter how small they are. The boss ladies also encouraged each other to go the extra mile and nurture their entrepreneurial ambitions. To make the session more exciting, the City Ambassador also engaged the audiences and guests with fun games of riddles and quizzes. The top 3 winners of the contest were rewarded with gift hampers from coto.
Aparna Acharekar, Co-Founder, coto said, “It's crucial to safeguard women from the threats they face in the online space. While creating a platform like coto, exclusively for women, I realised that I would need to keep aside my personal biases and stereotypes aside. We at coto took the initiative and specifically designed this platform with women's online safety in mind and the goal of improving the online experience for women.”
“The internet can also be a blessing when used properly. For instance, The #MeToo movement unified women across countries and gave them the courage to speak out against the assaulter. Women-only networks, created by and for women, are gradually becoming more powerful and trendy. coto is based on the similar idea that women may build communities and, through open discussion on a range of subjects, can support, inspire, and uplift one another. It serves as a platform for women to work, learn, and discuss anything they choose. Women on coto are not simply safe, they also work together, partner up, earn money, and build their own communities with unique themes and ideas,” she added.
coto City Ambassador, Monica M. Alankar, said, “I am an entrepreneur, and I have a brand called Mocha which is into skincare products. I have another brand that is into sarees and fashion and a third which is into events. All my ventures are women-only and cater to their special needs. To sum up, I am an entrepreneur, a marketer, a mom, and a learner. I feel we are all learners, and today we have all assembled on coto which means to come together and celebrate our strengths. People might wonder why we need a women-only platform. It’s because there are a lot of women who still think that being vocal will lead them to face judgements from society. So, it’s our responsibility to tell the boss ladies that there is no fear of judgments. I really look up to this platform, and I feel at the end of the day it’s about sharing the love and knowledge that we have with each other.”
Monica M Alankar’s community ‘Trivandrum pennpada’ on coto aims to share Trivandrum city updates with its members. She has two other communities on coto- ‘Lets’s Stye it!’ and ‘Event notifications’.
Here's what local members from Trivandrum had to say upon being asked about their concept of success:
Dr. Likha Rajan, Doctor & Model, said, “Women are stereotyped and told to take a particular kind of job. But what I feel is that women must find their passion. When I was a kid, I was very interested in dance and that did not affect my studies in any way. I am a doctor by profession, and even when I was studying, I was offered modelling chances. I did not let these chances go and managed to do both. It continued even when I was practicing medical. Today I have found my inner passion in dance & modelling and my love is for the profession of severing as a doctor. Similarly, every woman should find their inner passion.”
Nisha Merlyn, Social Media Content Supervisor, said, “I used to be a people pleaser earlier, which affected me mentally. I used to take too much stress about not doing the work which I had taken up. I understand now that it is not good at all. Women should stop being people pleasers as it is a success factor. It is also important to remove negative people from life. Staying in toxic environments will drain you out. Identifying toxic relationships and coming out of them is a sign of success. As women, we always think about how society brands us, but we should come out of it. Women should support each other emotionally as men don't understand the thought process for women. Coming over our fears is what I define as success.”
Megha Padmakumar, Model and Content creator, said, “Success for me is happiness. I have seen my mother always being happy with little things. She is a homemaker and she finds happiness every day in small things like buying something for herself or for the family. I learnt from her that I might be a successful model, or very independent women, but if I am not happy with what I have been doing, then it’s not success. So, to sum it up, happiness is equal to success for me.”
Nidhi Sudhan, Responsible Tech Advocate & Co-Founder, Citizen Digital Foundation, said, “The number of learning opportunities that we had in our times was only restricted to school. There was a lot of pressure that I faced while growing up. I was constantly bullied for my dark skin. At that time, success for me was being pretty and fair. Slowly when I came back to Kerala, my concepts related to success changed. As I joined the corporate world in my 20s, success became all about having a great CTC, a big car, and a house. It all felt great briefly, but I realized that while pursuing these material aspects I didn’t really get satisfaction. I don’t have any traditional definition of success because I deprioritized money, let go of top tech job offers, refused a visa in the UK and I came back to India which nobody does after studying in UK. At the end of the day, I am the happiest right now. All the life choices I have made, I am happy about is what success means to me.”
Manikutty, Marketer, said, “I don’t think success is a very defined term. I am a 30-year-old woman. At this point in life, success for me is mental peace and happiness, which comes to me from social, economic, and personal spaces. Everyday might not be a successful day, but that’s okay.”
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