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WGST 320 Gendered Techno-Culture

[mcwizardcz]

Blog Post #10 4/24

1.How did the Patriot Act contribute to the over surveillance of U.S. citizens? The Patriot Act was passed into law after the attacks on 9/11. This legislation has been highly controversial as it was passed very quickly and Congress did not know what they had agreed to as it was a 342 document. The Patriot Act transformed the way policemen operate. Moreover, it broadened the scope of who they can define as a terrorist. The Patriot Act also generated more hate and fear towards people from certain ethnic backgrounds.

2.Is it possible to opt out from Apple's artificial intelligence? Apple has recently rolled out their artificial intelligence and have implemented it in the newest softwares. Each time there is another update they share a long list of terms that users must agree to in order to use their devices. Yet, some people prefer to opt out as they do not want their data to be sold. However, Apple has made it especially difficult for people to opt out. For example, you must go onto every single application on your phone and physically opt out. This makes it more difficult as many people are not tech savvy or are aware of what they agree to on the terms and conditions.

3.Can social media be used against protesters? Social media has become an outlet for gathering supporters to join their cause. It is a great tool to spread information and get noticed by people all over the world. However, the legal system is now using it as a tool to prosecute individuals that may have promoted the protest or riot. During a Pennsylvania protest policemen took full advantage of this and detained two individuals who used twitter to communicate with protestors. According to Powers, “Madison’s job was to verify information being sent in and then relay that to legal observers, street medics, and other organizers who could in turn tweet the information to the masses in the streets” (Powers, 2010). This can be harmful as it may deter individuals from sharing information on social media as it can now be used against them.

4.How does the Federal Riot Anti Statute discourage protestors from organizing and coming together? The Federal Riot Anti Statute passed into law in 1968 by President Lyndon Johnson. This law was first used against the Chicago 8. The law was used to prosecute protestors that cross interstate borders. This law can be effective in deterring protestors from joining a cause as they may be charged as a felon. Moreover, it is not fair as people move states and they would not be able to go back to their home state and protest. It also discourages individuals as it allows the justice system to be selective on who they decide to punish. References: Power, M. (2010). How Your Twitter Account Could Land You in Jail.

Parenti, C.. Fear As Institution 9/11 And Surveillance Triumph [Review of Fear As Institution 9/11 And Surveillance Triumph ].

[mcwizardcz]

Blog Post #9 4/17

1.What was the message #gamergate was trying to convey and how was it rooted with sexist tactics? Gamergate was a movement made up of gamers who were upset about gamer journalists being in cohorts with developers and possibly being bought by big companies. Their main target was a woman named Zoe Quinn who was a developer who allegedly had relationships with multiple gaming journalists. These gamers then went on to cyberbully Quinn and dox where she was living. They also went on to say that they would not care if she were to suicide because of their harmful words. Despite its sexist ways the movement was successful in gaming journalists being banned from receiving funding from gaming companies. However, it also led to less women being involved in the gaming industry and journalism.

2.What are the effects of trolling and how does it transfer over to the real world? Trolling can cause serious damage to people in the real world. There have been many cases were children and adults commit suicide because of the online attacks. It can be extremely harmful and deteriorating to someone's mental health to constantly consume hurtful comments. This can lead to poor mental health and possibly self harm. Moreover, trolling has become more hurtful as there are some trolls that have begun doxxing people. Doxxing can lead to victims being targeted and physically harmed. The #Gamergate movement led to “Quinn's address and phone number were made public shortly afterward, and the threats against her became so intense that she left her house and started couchsurfing” (Hathaway 2014). As a result, Quinn had to completely rebuild her life because of online trolls.

3.Are the effects of commercial spyware reversible or can you do anything to combat it? In the documentary Surveilled, we learn that commercial spyware is being sold to governments. These companies claim that their products are meant to target terrorists and criminals. However, we learn that spyware knows no boundaries and anyone is susceptible to it. Moreover, government officials are specifically targeting politicians and civil rights activists. Their products go undetected and they can only know that they have been hacked after the damage has been done. The spyware has access to cameras, files, photos, microphones, and social media. There is no way to reverse the hack once it has been done. A way to combat this would be to be conscious of everything you put on your devices.

4.Why is commercial spyware harmful to all marginalized groups in the U.S.? Despite what commercial spyware companies and government agencies want the public to believe. Commercial spyware does not only cause harm to terrorists and criminals. The invasive technology can be used against all marginalized groups. They have specifically used it to target civil rights activists. More people targeted by this spyware would be educators, doctors, lawyers, politicians, protestors, students, and journalists. This is harmful as it can cause a culture of conformity. People that are being oppressed will be too scared to speak up as they may be targeted because of this spyware. Moreover, it may lead to people conforming to gender norms as the spyware can expose what people do in their private life.

References: Hathaway, J. (2014). What is Gamergate, and why? An explainer for non-geeks. Gawker.

O'Neill, M., & Peltz, P. (Directors). (2020). Surveilled [Film]. HBO Documentary Films.

[mcwizardcz]

Blog Post #8 4/10

1.How did Black Twitter positively challenge narratives and does utilizing social media come with negatives? People of color have built community based groups on social media to navigate dominant narratives they experience on social media and in person. These groups can be an outlet where they can express themselves freely with the use of memes and social media posts. According to Dr. Lee, “black Twitter users took to the battlefield and created a digital homespace to fight for the control to define their own bodies by being very critical of mass media’s representations of black bodies” (Lee, 2017). They used the tool of social media to combat the unfair biases of the mainstream media and create their own narrative of how black people should be represented. However, this type of activism may not be as effective in the grand scheme of things as Lee found that these spaces tend to last a short time.

2.Are hashtags an effective form of civic engagement? Hashtags can be an effective method of spreading awareness of a social issue and help motivate individuals to join their fight against injustice. A hashtag makes it easier for like minded people to receive important information about an organization. However, a hashtag can have some issues if it is not favorable by the algorithm. Therefore in some ways a hashtag is an effective form of civic engagement if it is followed by other actions. However, it will never be enough to enact real change to a social issue. A hashtag is simply the beginning of an individual's involvement in political change.

3.What are the three forms of cyber activism and how does it eventually turn into Real-world activism? There are three different forms of cyber activism which include Awareness/Advocacy, organization/mobilization, and action/reaction. The internet has completely revolutionized the way people participate in civic engagement. Nowadays, to successfully achieve one's goal they have to incorporate cyber and real world activism. A group of people must use social media to spread awareness and advocate for what they believe in. This allows them to reach more people who would be interested in supporting their cause. Moreover, they can also use social media to organize an event and get people to show up to an in person protest. However, they will not be able to be truly successful if they do not meet up in person and disrupt the government or corporations in person.

4.What tactics did the #NoDapl movement used to disrupt physical and virtual spaces? The #NoDAPL movement's main target was to stop the construction of the Dakota access pipeline. The Indigenous tribes in the area believed it was a clear violation of their treaties with the U.S. government. But more importantly, the pipeline would pose a risk to the tribe as the pipeline can burst and destroy their land. The #NoDapl movement used in person and virtual tactics to disrupt the construction of the pipeline. They had people camping on sacred land, water protectors, prayer circles, and blockades. The people protesting in person had to endure harsh treatments from law enforcement such as rubber bullets, sirens, teargas, and unleashed dogs. Another method of disruption was through social media. The people began to notice early on that the mainstream media was not covering the protests or would spread misinformation. As a result members protesting used live streams and became citizen journalists. With the use of social media and physical protests the #NoDapl movement was successful in stopping the construction of the pipeline.

References: Lee, L. (2017). Black twitter: A response to bias in mainstream media. Social Sciences, 6(1), 26. https://doi.org/10.3390/socsci6010026

Deschine Parkhurst, Nicholet A. “Disruptions: Indigenous Social Media.” 9 Apr. 2025.

Vegh, S. “Classifying Forms of Online Activism: The Case of Cyber-Protests Against the World Bank.”

[mcwizardcz]

Blog Post #7 3/20

1.How can social media be beneficial to motivate the masses in political movements? The internet is a powerful tool in motivating people to engage in political movements as it allows people to access other individuals with similar views. People can find social media posts, blogs, and websites. Moreover the internet makes it easier for people to be exposed to a wide variety of different views. Therefore, they can find more information about themselves and what they like. This allows users to build a sense of community with one another. Additionally, the internet allows people to organize and coordinate events and community service.

2.Can social media be an unreliable source for civic engagement? Despite the ability to get fast and easy information. The internet can also have many sources that are unreliable and contain disinformation. Disinformation is when people intentionally share false information to deceive people. Moreover, social media can be unreliable as the algorithm tends to reinforce the beliefs of the users. The more they interact with certain posts the more they will continue to receive information from similar creators. Spier became radicalized by this as “the internet became for Spier the doorway to a public sphere that was at times the classroom, the library, the dorm, and even the internet itself” (Elin 2003). The more he dived deeper into the internet the more he became radicalized as he kept seeing individuals who had similar values.

3.Is it still possible to join cyberactivism groups online and remain anonymous? Cyberactivism is a great way to impact change in the United States. However, I find it difficult to believe that the online spaces are truly anonymous. Especially since people are becoming more aware of a digital footprint. Moreover, everything on the internet is being saved by the U.S. government. Therefore, people are creating applications such as VPNs. Yet, people will have to put in a lot of effort to keep their information safe. This may cause people to not want to participate in cyberactivism.

4.How has the internet transformed the white supremacy movement to a global movement? Similar to many other movements white supremacy has also become widespread due to the internet. According to Daniels, the white supremacist website called Stormfront has “supporters from across the globe logging in from Australia, the Baltics, Belgium, Britain, Canada, France…” (Daniels 2009). Despite what some people might believe white supremacy is not just an American belief. These groups of individuals live all over the world and are contacting one another. This can become dangerous when individuals become radicalized and decide to cause harm to people that are not white.

References: Daniels, Jessie. White Supremacist Social Movements Online and in a Global Context . Rowman & Littlefield, 2009.

Elin, Larry. “The Radicalization of Zeke Spier.” Cyberactivism: Online Activism in Theory and Practice, Routledge, London, England, 2003.

[mcwizardcz]

Blog Post #6 3/13

Are humans already cyborgs or will they become them in the future? According to Haraway in the Cyborg Manifesto, a cyborgis a hybrid of organism and machine. A great example of this would be the humans in the black mirror episode Nosedive. The people in the show had lenses that allowed them to display people’s social media in their vision. Humans are slowly transforming into cyborgs as most of their lives revolve around technology. Phones are constantly being used for social media, banking, communication, and entertainment. For example, I need to use technology to take this class and pass it. As a result, people spend hours on their phones. I believe that people would voluntarily become cyborgs if the technology was already as advanced as the technology in the black mirror episode.

How has the digital era transformed white supremacy? White supremacy is the belief that the white race is superior and that any other race should be eliminated or excluded. The U.S. has a long history of upholding this belief by only allowing white men to be the first citizens, slavery, and Jim Crow laws. However, the digital era is changing the patriarchal ideology as more women are allowed to express their ideas online. These women have joined online white supremacy spaces as they believe that being white is a privilege and they should do everything in their power to uphold their power. These spaces are harmful as they can incite violence and hate crimes in the real world.

Why do digital assistants have feminine characteristics and how is that harmful to women? The first digital assistant was Mavis Beacon who helped people learn how to type on a keyboard. Nowadays, there are a ton of digital assistants such as Siri, Gemini, Alexa, Cortana, and Braina. All of these digital assistants are voiced by a woman. According to O’Riordan, “When “the mother” continues to be understood as female, these narratives of gendering reposition gender in a heterosexualized optical binary of maternal/paternal, female/male, which still repositions female as lack.” (O’Riordan, 2007 pg.245) This can impact women negatively as people will continue to associate women as objects. Moreover, women will continue to be seen as someone who helps aid rather than an equal.

Is the gamification of race and gender harmful to society? Game developers have always implemented their biases into their games. They do so by exaggerating stereotypes. Such as giving certain characters accents, a specific appearance, and sexualizing female characters. They go even further by making minority groups criminals, terrorists, and rapists. Moreover, game developers in the United States make white characters into white knights and heroes. They do this by making the white characters cause harm to the minorities to advance in the game. This is harmful as the people playing these games will associate certain ethnicities with negative stereotypes.

References:

Daniels, J. (2009). Cyber Racism: White Supremacy Online and The New Attack on Civil Rights. Rowman & Littlefield Publishers.

O’Riordan, K. (2007). Chapter 21 Gender, technology, and visual cyberculture: Virtually women. Critical Cyberculture Studies, 243–254.

Haraway, D. J. (1985). A Cyborg Manifesto: Science, Technology, and Socialist-feminism in the late twentieth century. Socialist Review.

[mcwizardcz]

Blog Post #5 3/6

After watching the episode Nosedive, how does the merit system keep people oppressed in the show? The merit system in the show is based on popularity and it is a five-star rating system. The system is essentially made up to keep people in check and not have them lash out or behave differently. As a result, people are not allowed to express how they really feel and have to fake most of their interactions. The system also keeps people oppressed by having their everyday utilities rely on whether or not they receive a high ranking. Therefore, it creates an unhealthy cycle that people can not opt out of if they want to survive.

What are the similarities and differences between the episode Nosedive and our social media merit system? The Black Mirror episode on Netflix had many similarities to our social media merit system. For example, some apps use a five-star ranking system such as Uber, Door Dash, Yelp, and Airbnb. If people have a low ranking on these apps then it limits them from using resources from it. Moreover, influencers on social media get rewarded special privileges from companies based on their following. They get sent on trips, receive pr packages and free dinners. This is similar to the show as the people with the five-star ratings received access to more facilities because of their rating. A major difference between the show and real life is that social media is still not fully integrated into our lives to the point that it is being implemented into our bodies.

What are new trends in social media that offer a critical examination of race? A trend that is similar to the “sh*t white girls say” was when people were reacting to Tik Toks of white people who were taking things from people's cultures and claiming them as their new inventions. An example of this was when people began to notice that white women believed to have created a new drink called “spa water”. They had essentially taken aguas frescas which are staples in Mexican culture and completely rebranded them as a new health trend. White people tend to culturally appropriate minorities whenever it is a new trend or it begins to rise in popularity.

How does white privilege continue to be the invisible standard on social media? White privilege continues to be the standard in the United States and social media is not the exception. According to Senft and Noble, in Race and Social Media, “nearly all early social media systems involved pull-down menus and other architectural features that began with the default assumptions that users were white” (Senft and Noble 2015) This directly shows how white privilege is the invisible standard in social media as the programmers built social media with the intention that white people were going to be the ones primarily using it. Moreover, this explains why facial biometrics have a difficult time detecting individuals with darker skin. Moreover, this gives white people the privilege of never having to worry if someone will falsely accuse them of a crime just on the basis of racially biased technology.

References:

T. Senft, S. Noble (2015) Race and social media. In J. Hunsinger and T. Senft (Eds.), The Social Media Handbook (pp. 102-125). Routledge

[mcwizardcz]

Blog Post #4 2/27

1.How are games exploiting racial stereotypes for profit? The gaming industry is a billion dollar industry whose primary audience are middle aged white men. Many games implement these stereotypes by making the criminal or villain a person who falls into a minority group. This character can have characteristics and physical features that are often exaggerated to perpetrate a certain stereotype. They will then make the character create a crime such as theft, rape, and terrorism. Exploiting racial stereotypes in video games can be harmful as games have a big audience. It also reinforces racial prejudices.

2.How is the internet impacting the way society sees race? The internet has slowly changed the way people perceive other races. The media is far more widespread and allows for disinformation. People have begun creating content on the basis of stereotypes. Big companies also use these stereotypes to generate more engagement which then leads to a bigger profit. Moreover, social media gives a false sense of anonymity to its user. This has led to the creation of digital blackface. Digital blackface is when people use images of primarily black people and post offensive stuff on social media.

3.What does white supremacy look like on social media and why is it harmful? The internet has made it easier for members of White supremacy groups to interact with one another and spread their hateful propaganda. White supremacists take advantage of the “anonymity” of the internet and spread hateful messages on social media. According to Daniels, in the “White Supremacy in the Digital Era” he states, that white supremacies online presence can be harmful in three ways which are its “easy access and global linkage, harm it may precipitate in real life, and the challenge it presents to honoring racial equality.”(Daniels 2009) These white supremacist groups are simply redefining the ways that people can demonstrate racial biases.

4.Is race a social construct or rooted in nature? The concept of race has been widely debated by people for many years. There have been many scientists that have struggled to prove their hypothesis with concrete biological evidence. People who argue that it is a social construct believe that race is a direct product of culture. Especially since it can change depending on which culture is talking about race. Race has historically been used as a tool to categorize humans and discriminate towards them.

References: Daniels, J. (2009). Cyber racism : white supremacy online and the new attack on civil rights. Rowman & Littlefield Publishers. Kolko, B. E., Nakamura, L., & Rodman, G. B. (2000). Race in Cyberspace: An Introduction. In B. E. Kolko, L. Nakamura, & G. B. Rodman (Eds.), Race in Cyberspace (pp. 1-13). Routledge.

[mcwizardcz]

Blog Post #3 2/13

1.Wh at are examples of the digital divide theory in the U.S. today? As technology advances, the digital divide theory also changes with the times. Back then the digital divide theory may have been that marginalized groups did not have access to technology therefore they never had an interest in it. However, Everett critiques this argument by bringing up the black press. The digital divide theory continues to occur today as there are still people who have a difficult time accessing technology. Especially, since internet companies avoid areas that are heavily populated by minorities.

2. What is the “New Jim Code” and what does it look like in modern days? The United States of America has a long history of oppressing black people by simply altering the way they do it. Benjamin has coined a new term for the racism they face on technology the “New Jim Code”. The New Jim Code is using new technologies to further their agenda of inequalities but creating them to be perceived as more progressive. (Benjamin, 2019) A prime example of this is institutions that use algorithms. Despite what many people might believe these algorithms are created by coders that implement their biases. As a result, white people's names are associated with pleasant things whereas, black people's names are associated with derogatory things.

3. How would you define intersectionality and how does it help fight injustices? The word intersectionality was coined by Kimberly Crenshaw to help explain the overlooked groups of people being oppressed by the justice system. Intersectionality is a framework of different social identities that help understand social injustices in institutions. These social identities can be race, gender, ethnicity, disabilities, religion, and sexual preference. The example that Crenshaw uses is black women. The courts have a difficult time seeing the injustices that they face as they fit into two categories of social identities. However, these injustices will continue to occur if the institutions do not fully grasp the importance of intersectionality. On the other hand, technology has begun to use the framework of intersectionality as a tool to market to specific groups of people on social media.

4.What is the California Gang database and its detrimental effects on minorities it targets? The California Gang database started in Los Angeles as a data collection to help law enforcement with an electronically generated algorithm that helps identify gang affiliated individuals. The algorithm is widely used by law enforcement all over the U.S. This program was then exposed for perpetuating racial biases toward minorities when babies were added to the list because of their ethnic names. Unfortunately, these individuals are not the only people that were unfairly added to the list. The implications of being on the list are that police officers will be able to detain these individuals just on the basis of an algorithm. They will have to live the rest of their lives in fear that a police officer can target them just because they had a name that would most likely be affiliated with a gang member.

References Everett, A. (2002). The revolution will be digitized: Afrocentricity and the digital public sphere. Social Text, 71(20.2), 125-146.

Benjamin, R. (2019). Race after technology: Abolitionist tools for the new Jim code. Polity.

TED. (2016, December 16). The urgency of intersectionality | Kimberlé Crenshaw [ Video]. Youtube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=akOe5-UsQ2o&t=3s

[mcwizardcz]

Blog Post #2 2/5

Why are algorithms reproducing racially biased outcomes? Algorithms are a new technological advancement that helps institutions such as healthcare and the police make predictions. These algorithms collect their data from public records, social media, and over-surveillance in communities of color. As a result, most minorities have their data taken when they go to a hospital. Moreover, the people who create the algorithms are often white men. Algorithms produce biases as a result of our society's values and beliefs. (Brown, 2020) This means that the algorithms will not be fixed until society no longer has these biases towards minority groups.

How did people use social media to push back against immigration policies? The media has a long history of being an intricate part of fighting back against injustices. Nowadays, social media has allowed for the spread of information to be more easily accessible. An example of this was the recent protests against the new anti-immigration policies established by Donald Trump. People used social media to rally support and organize protests all over the United States against I.C.E. Most of the media I consume is on Tik Tok which has been posting videos of how the protest had successfully shut down the highway in Los Angeles. For the most part, my algorithm produced encouraging reactions towards the protests. However, the media has two sides to it and there were also some racist comments on the videos.

What role did the “ A Day Without Immigrants” protests play in capitalism? The media played a big role in spreading the news that people should stay at home, not spend any money, and not go to work. Many people know that the United States of America is a capitalist country. Therefore, the protesters decided by not spending money they would get more attention to their cause. I work in retail and the next day they had reported that Adidas had only made $8,000 dollars which is significantly less than what we make on a normal day.

What are health insurance’s ethics and how does it affect the biases made by their algorithms? Health insurance was originally made on the ethical principles that it was made to help out people and treat them fairly. However, their morals get questioned when they use algorithms as a quick fix to make predictions. These algorithms are well known to use data that includes discriminatory practices towards minorities. This can lead to the algorithm making unfair assumptions and taking away healthcare from people who need it the most. Moreover, it may be difficult for a consumer to sue a healthcare provider as they are not required to be transparent about their algorithms. Therefore, a healthcare provider's morals will depend on whether or not they continue to allow the algorithm to have discriminatory biases towards minorities.

References: Brown, N. (2020, September 18). Race and Technology. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d8uiAjigKy8 Eubanks, V. (2019). Automating inequality: How high-tech tools profile, police, and punish the poor. Picador, St. Martin’s Press.

[mcwizardcz]

The Time Technology Talked Back

My junior year of high school was jam packed with four different advanced placement classes from the college board, varsity tennis, and after school clubs. Just like any other junior, I had clearly taken on too much that I can handle just to look “good” for colleges. This story takes place right before winter break and all I had to get through was my sixth-period final exam. The course was A.P. European History and my teacher was Mrs. Ten Eyck. She was a middle-aged white woman who was sometimes too happy to relive the stories of her “ancestors” if you know what I mean. Mrs. Ten Eyck was a very stern teacher and I often dozed off in the middle of her long and boring lectures. Her final exam was made up of thirty multiple-choice questions and three questions that required you to write a lengthy essay. At this time of the semester, I had a B+ and was trying my hardest to gain back my 4.0 GPA. However, I had spent the night before talking with my friends on the phone rather than studying. I was about halfway done with the multiple choice part of the exam when I became hard stuck on a question about who Martin Luther King was and why he wrote the 95 Theses. To this day I would not be able to tell you who this man is or why he would write a 95 theses. However, seeing as I was seated in the back of the room and out of her view I decided to search up the answers. I grabbed my phone out of my back pocket but for some reason, my phone had been temporarily disabled. After waiting a few minutes I finally put in my password and began to search up the answers. But everything on Google really was not helpful. So my next bright idea was to ask my best friend seeing as technology had now failed me twice. I whispered to my friend “Hey Zuri, who was Martin Luther King?” My face quickly turned red when I received a response back from Siri on my phone at the fullest volume saying “Here is what I know about Martin Luther King Jr.” I quickly shoved my phone back into my backpack. I was extremely embarrassed but luckily Mrs. Ten Eyck never noticed and I just continued with my exam.