Abstract

In this study, using a thematic analysis, we examined how Pakistani women-led closed Facebook groups function as digital third places and subaltern counterpublics, offering safe, routine spaces for emotional expression and subtle resistance. In a cultural context where women’s public voice is restricted by norms of shame, modesty, and judgment, these groups provide a digital refuge for connection, support, and selective self-expression. Based on in-depth interviews with twenty-three Pakistani women, the study finds that participants engage in layered forms of voice, through anonymity, collective phrasing, and carefully expressing emotional experiences. These acts, while not overtly political, represent a form of soft resistance that challenges patriarchal expectations by making Pakistani women’s lived experiences visible. The study contributes to scholarly discussions on digital media and the concept of voice by demonstrating how third place and subaltern counterpublic frameworks converge in online communities within the Global South, reshaping not only how women speak but also the very terms under which speaking becomes possible.