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Blog Post #10

Why did the TIPS program fail?

TIPS, Terrorism Information and Prevention System program was used by the Bush Administration to make workers like UPS drivers and neighbors to surveille and report people for “suspicious activity”. This was proposed by Attorney General John Ashcroft who was publicly shut down by mainstream media, and delivery/utility companies. As Parenti puts it, “On Planet Ashcroft, society appears…where citizens mistrust each other, share no popular solidarity, and place all trust in unlimited state and corporate power (pg 204)”. This program failed because it attempted to turn neighbors on each other to report anything suspicious, promoted violent racial profiling and increased targeted behavior towards marginalized folks just trying to live their lives.

What were the effects after 9/11 on immigrants?

Due to the severe impact of 9/11 the American government implemented heavy surveillance like the TIPS program, especially on immigrants and folks of Middle Eastern descent. There were and even continue to be major mass arrests for immigrants who aren't breaking the law but being overly surveilled and criminalized for basic issues like problems with paperwork, or visas. Immigration programs require immigrant residents to record their fingerprints, information, and photos to nearby authorities and students with visas are required to be tracked and listed. This obviously sends the message they are seen as potential threats on a watch list, racially profiled as terrorists, and who's to say when these surveillance boundaries are crossed and abused.

Why would different generations have different opinions on over surveillance?

I believe in simple terms being of a different generation where growing up with emerging surveillance in technology is becoming normalized. When you're of an older generation watching these major changes over time would be much more prominent and upsetting to experience or observe. Speaking for myself, who wasn't born until after 9/11, all of these vast changes in immigration policies, surveillance, and technology were something that I grew up with and didn't question until later. I appreciate the teachers, educators, and parents who do make the younger audience aware of these issues of privacy, because it isn't something you question as much when it becomes normalized in your day to day life.

What's the connection between privacy and civil liberties?

The lack of technological advancement used to invade privacy benefited social justice movements like the civil rights movement that gained large numbers of people to participate in political movements, boycotting and protests. Privacy has impacted civil liberties in positive ways that have improved change and movements. Now with heightened digital surveillance these types of movements would look different due to a lack of privacy and how easily targeted people can be. Parenti states, “Often the only way to get a constitutional test of a law is to violate the statute in question…obedience and self-policing are the ideal is a threat to the basic preconditions of oppositional politics and social progress (pg 211-212)”. Individuals having privacy violated is a threat to our civil liberties and will stunt our independent growth and social movement.

Parenti, Christian. “Fear as Institution: 9/11 and Surveillance Triumphant.” Civil Liberties vs. National Security: In a Post-9, by M. Katherine B. Darmer et al., Prometheus Books, Amherst, N.Y, 2004

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Kilmar Abrego Garcia - Conversation from mondays class

Sen. Chris Van Hollen, D-Md., shared a photo of his meeting with Kilmar Abrego Garcia in El Salvador on Thursday.

This is absolutely sick, please spread the word to friends, family, and social media!

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Blog Post 9 - McLaine/Ethnic Online Communities

Why are Ethnic Online Communities(EOCs) so important?

Issues regarding race and ethnicity are often avoided or ignored in online environments due to the “digital default” systems that benefit white, cis/het, high class, men. Race/ethnicity are rarely discussed or advocated for in online chats that are easily pushed aside from the conversation. EOC’s like BET.com and Space.com, are seen growing more because they provide a space that wasn't always available. These spaces are important because they increase community empowerment, advocacy, and resilience to fight for equity and offer resources.

How is the internet used for low class Americans?

Due to the vast levels of treatment of lower income and ethnic/racial marginalized individuals specifically on the internet, it's interesting to find out how they navigate resources needed. The Children's Partnership(TCP) conducted a report in 2000 that found lower income individuals and/or marginalized racial/ethnic individuals used the internet to find multilingual resources, local job positions, local low cost living, and/or local culturally relevant resources. The internet is a huge resource for opportunity and growth, so it would make sense that these demographics would find a lot of advantages. If the internet and online spaces were actually “equal” as they claim, then EOC spaces and other resources would be more attainable and advocated for.

Who were some of the first EOC’s?

In 1997, AsianAvenue.com became the first ethnic online communities that soon after inspired the increase of more online spaces like BlackPlanet.com and MiGente.com. These spaces not only provided helpful resources, community empowerment but also supported millions of members. Benjamin Sun, CEO of Community Connect Inc. talks about how difficult it was receiving funds and support for AsianAvenue.com and other EOC’s. Sun refers to the importance of community support and how vital these spaces are for racial and ethnic marginalized demographics.

What are some examples of EOC’s empowerment?

EOC’s offer a great new perspective because it's creating a space not just for resources/support but spreading information and connecting across borders. One example of how this empowerment has benefited was the use of racial/discriminatory slurs being reclaimed by members that brought up a lot of discourse. Either agreeing to reclaim the word or not, there was still a large sense of control and discussion over how people felt that gave them a voice and a space to speak on these issues. Another interesting example was the use of people using online usernames that were stereotypical identifications of race/ethnicity, something that was typically avoided due to targeted attacks in online spaces. Now due to these community spaces, there is more freedom for individuality with less fear of discrimination.

McLaine, S. Ethnic Online Communities: Between Profit and Purpose, 2003.

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Blog #8 - Cyber activism & the #NoDAPL movement

How is political activism used through the Internet?

Sandor Vegh, in the chapter, Classifying Forms of Online Activism, talks about the ways they define political activism online and how this form of activism is used as a force of resistance to inform public knowledge against powerful systems. Vegh defines this as a, “politically motivated movement relying on the Internet” and uses examples like the World Bank to examine how these organizations respond to cyberprotests. The internet has expanded knowledge across global boundaries that online activism has utilized to raise awareness, organize movements, and hold power organizations accountable. Vegh mentions these through three categories of which they have summarized the types of online activism we see today being awareness/advocacy, organization/mobilization, and action/reaction.

How were cyberprotests used against the World Bank?

Online activism used the Internet to bring awareness, educate, and mobilize towards deconstructing corporate systems and capitalistic organizations like the World Bank. Vegh mentions how companies, like these, and activist organizations know that, “their main vulnerability lies in their public image” of which hacktivists challenge when resisting forces. This action of cyberprotests work to educate and shed light to the general public that can change the public image of once trusted companies. Since most of our world uses technology, the World Bank often works digitally or online with virtual meetings, making it easier for disruptions from hacktivists and online protests.

How does the #NoDAPL movement benefit from the Internet?

Although the activism and resistance of the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe was active for generations due to America’s colonial oppression, and continues because of the Dakota Access PipeLine, a mass increase of population views occurred due to social media. This included live videos streaming on Facebook, crowdsource funding, online campaigns, and blog/social media posts of personal stories reaching billions. While most online coverage were citizen journalists and independent media whose coverage spread viral globally, this then increased media attention from major news sources who had originally ignored the #NoDAPL resistance. The internet gave more access and spread information faster than activism that was done in the past, and although online access can come with negatives, it's a huge positive to see how it's been used to fight back against colonial oppressive systems of power.

How has technology benefited Indigenous activist movements in the past?

Nicholet A. Deschine Parkhurst in her paper, “From #Mniwiconi to #StandwithStandingRock discusses the further impact of social activism movements like broadcasting on television and radios along with forming the American Indian Movement(AIM) and Red Power in the 60s-70s. Dechine Parkhurst mentions how Native Americans have been using technology communication since the 1880s, like the Ghost Dance, that has not only spread information across land but also resources and activist resistance. Due to this access of technology has benefited Native peoples long term in leading political organizations and movements for social and environmental change. Regarding Standing Rock, they have used social media to fight back against lies and propaganda to show their protests and social movements are nonviolent and vital to the greater conversation. Social media and online activism has not only been used to raise their voices and awareness but also to remove and disprove false narratives and disinformation used to hurt their movements.

Deschine Parkhurst, N. A. (2021). 2. From #Mniwiconi to #StandwithStandingRock: How the #NoDAPL movement disrupted physical and virtual spaces and brought indigenous liberation to the forefront of people’s Minds. Indigenous Peoples Rise Up, 32–47. https://doi.org/10.36019/9781978808812-003

Vegh, Sandor. 2013. Classifying Forms of Online Activism: The Case of Cyberprotests against the World Bank.

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Blog #7 - Daniels: White Supremacist Movements Online

How is translocal whiteness important in understanding cyber racism?

Translocal whiteness, also known as global white identity from sociologist Les Back, refers to the global collection of white identities through digital media that reinforces white supremacy spaces and therefore levels of cyber racism. As important as the internet is with bringing communities, voices, and shared experiences together globally, can also be used in a negative way, like white supremacy. With such easy access to the internet, it's extremely easy for an individual to say and do whatever they want free of consequence and surround themselves with others under the same mindset. Translocal whiteness is important when understanding cyber racism because it amplifies and creates this “safe space” for white supremists to share, reinforce, and contribute to daily racist ideals, acts and behaviors.

What is the difference between supporters and members in online spaces?

The ideas and concepts around movement organizations have usually consisted of leaders and members, however this has changed with the internet. The term supporter is now an addition used to refer to individuals who aren't necessarily members and dont always partake in the change, but assume to be a part of the movement. This is really interesting because we tend to see this a lot in our world now especially on social media in how individuals will assume active membership for social movements without actually doing any real world work. People are finding online activism much easier to participate in due to its accessibility and convenience, which has changed the game for movements to use social media as a tool to recruit more voices.

Why should parents be concerned about hate sites just as much, if not more, than sex sites?

It's a common worry from parents about their child's access to the internet, especially porn sites that have increased exponentially because of the internet. Daniels mentions from an article, Psychiatric News by Lamberg, how access and recruitment for hate websites like white supremacy are growing more by the day. This isn't surprising, access to the internet means access to the world that is historically hateful and continues to be heavily intertwined with discrimination towards certain groups. Parents should include their concern for hate participation online due to how easy it is to access, participate, and share with others, especially since hateful organizations are about recruitment of numbers and members.

The White racial frame and why it's a concern?

Daniels mentions how online organizations like Stormfront may not actually be searching for recruits but the opposite, people are searching for them. It becomes a scary concern that individuals are seeking out these white supremacist organizations in online spaces, especially knowing how easy it is to find them, under a simple word search like “white pride worldwide”. Daniels refers to the white racial frame and how it is used to reinforce racist social movements on the internet and how they consume U.S. historical information to fit their small framed ideals. The article states how an individual cannot truly understand inequality through the white racial frame, given the social construction of whiteness and the continuous benefits reaped.

Daniels, J. (2025). White Supremacist Social Movements Online and In a Global Context. In Social Movements in the Information Age (Chapter 4).

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Blog Post #6 - The Cyborg and White Supremacy in Online Spaces

Is the differently abled individual more chimera/cyborg than the average cyborg?

In Haraway's Cyborg Manifesto, discusses the hybrid of humans with machine and technology that has further advanced our evolution, especially through the focused lens of race, class, and gender. I found it interesting with our conversations in class and what's mentioned in this reading how amputees and other disabilities are being more equalized or created equitable through technology and increasing this definition of the cyborg. A personal example of my own, as a type 1 diabetic, I've found my life extremely easier because of access to technology like insulin pumps and glucose monitors that work for my daily needs. To put into perspective T1D was considered a death sentence 100 years ago in the 1920’s and the first insulin pump was created in the 60’s and was as large as a backpack, now it's smaller than your palm where you cant even see it when i'm in class. If we are considered cyborgs and chimeras because we are so connected to technology like our phones and laptops, what does that mean for people like me who are physically and historically attached to technology 24/7? Am I considered more cyborg or chimera because my actual life and survival now depends more on technology than the average person? I believe, yes, differently abled people are heightened and future versions of our definition of the cyborg or chimera because we don't just use technology because it's necessarily accessible, but manipulate and utilize technology to even the playing fields for many of us who were never given the equal opportunity.

2. How does the cyborg differ for Race, Class, and Gender?

We’ve learned in this class the extent of the cyborg, especially how it has been adapted for racial/ethnic marginalized groups, women, queer communities, etc, to find spaces, share resources and utilize this manifestation of the cyborg to navigate oppressive systems of power. When considering differently abled people, personally in my head about T1D, how does the access to the cyborg differ for those who are lower SES, non-white, and women in a capitalist world? For example, to put into perspective, I’ve been doing a lot of research regarding different intersectional backgrounds and identities with being type 1. White people are curiously the most likely to have T1D and therefore many studies, research, and medical experiences are with predominantly white people, higher SES(because money gives access to medicine), with a specific white body type. Regarding lower SES T1D’s, they are more likely to have poor access to necessary medical care that adds more health disparities like losing limbs, losing eyesight, nerve damage, etc, and eventually early death. Although we are all considered cyborgs because of our access to technology on our phones at our fingertips, is someone who is lower SES considered less cyborg because they can't afford access, and therefore less likely to survive? I’ve known many diabetics whose lives are lost, shortened, and/or suppressed because there is a lack of care and access for the type of people to receive medical care. Is there such a thing as neutrality for being a cyborg when you're a differently abled intersectional person that can affect your access to life saving technology? Considering just race, there are already severe health disparities similar to these seen within the BIPOC population, especially black women. Not only that but the treatment, lack of research, education, and how they are perceived by the general public, is created solely for thin, white, rich bodies. For example, Kesha Carter, a young T1D Black women flight attendant was accused of carrying a bomb(her insulin pump) on the plane of which she worked on, by a white woman passenger, after Kesha changed her insulin pump and threw it away in the trash of the plane's bathroom(something we all do). How quickly the visible Black female cyborg became a threat rather than a differently abled person and notice how this directly differs for a White T1D who tend to struggle with misinformation and confusion of the disability versus BIPOC T1D’s who tend to deal with the intersectional racist and ableist view of being a potential threat to the public. People of color with differently abled bodies are being perceived as higher levels of danger with the visible appearance of advanced technology and cyborgism that aids the body in the absence of necessary physical body functions. So I believe in cases like being a T1D, and other disabilities, that could define us as visible appearance cyborgs, will tend to face unique and different intersectional challenges that will limit our access as lower SES, questioning our bodies as differently abled, and/or for non-white individuals flat out fear or hate an individual due to the unknown advancement.

3. The “welcoming” of white women in online White Supremacy spaces and why is it so dangerous?

The digital era in certain ways empowered marginalized and minority communities by providing spaces and power online that isn't always granted in the real world. But the same could be said about white supremacy with the consequences of translocal whiteness, and the digital era being used in racist ways to spread historical and genocidal beliefs. Women were more likely to share, respond, and participate in online discussion for only women spaces than spaces with men. While it's a great progression for women to build power and voices through online spaces, the heightened participation of white supremacy online also has involved more white women than ever. It's a common repetition we often see within history where some groups are tolerated or brought into gatekeeping spaces to build numbers and populations. In today's world we are seeing this more with the LGBTQ+ community and the active attempts to remove trans people from the community and overtly accept LGB people into white conservative spaces. As Daniels says in Chapter five of “Gender, White Supremacy, and the Internet”, “What shifts in white supremacy in the digital era is that now this sort of racist rhetoric is no longer simply ideology that is distributed in one direction, from movement leaders to movement followers, but instead is interactive and participatory(Daniel, pg. 70).” The reinforcement of white women in white supremist spaces is dangerous because they openly weaponize feminist ideals and thinking to only work for white women and make white supremacy more easily accessible to participate and pass on to others.

4. Why is it concerning that technology is becoming this definition of the “friendly female"?

I believe this becomes a question of how women are viewed and reinforced to perform “positivity" to make the others, usually men, feel better about themselves. Oppressive stereotypes are often weaponized against women to perform and act certain ways, even stereotyping basic emotions that evoke crying as “female”. This is not only concerning but reflective of the world we live in. Kate O’Riordan in the book, “Gender, Technology, and Visual Cyberculture” explains how, “...the prevalence of the female fantasy figures is related to the dominance of men in software engineering and programming(O’Riordan, pg. 247).” The reason we have so much female-like presence in technology like Alexa or Siri is argued due to the heteronormative sexual gendering tactic for an obvious consumer of the dominant white cis/het male. This then ultimately further enforces the social construct of how women are gendered, perceived, and enforced into seemingly genderless technology. The hyper humanism of this technology is concerning when we are in a world that hasn't even “humanized” every group of people, yet this is becoming extremely stark.

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

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

O’Riordan, K. (2022). Chapter 21 gender, technology, and visual cyberculture: Virtually women. Critical Cyberculture Studies, 243–254. https://doi.org/10.18574/nyu/9780814708903.003.0025

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Blog Post #5 - White Superiority & Race, Gender, and Class within 'Nosedive'

Why White supremacy is so dangerous especially with more online media access?

With overarching access to the internet, White supremacy continues to run rampant yet tends to hide itself under false titles, while harmfully reinforcing disinformation about racial superiority. Daniel's book, “Cyber Racism”, under chapter one, “White supremacy in the Digital Era”, depicts the dangers of racism that has been implemented onto the internet and how this is impacting our real world by creating comfortable spaces for racist ideologies. For one, online media has created quick access that shares people's voices globally which builds larger racist audiences from different locations, communicating and reinforcing bigoted mindsets. In multiple forms, white supremist groups work to erase and disinform racial/ethnic historical knowledge about slavery, segregation, the civil rights movements and important Black figures like Martin Luther King Jr. Not only this but when groups collect their racists behavior that is well structured, hidden under false guises, and anonymous, has resulted in severe acts of violence and genocide in the real world. We have seen time and time again the horrible acts of violence in the name of white superiority reinforced, supported, and encouraged through online communities with the same eugenic beliefs. In some ways the internet has benefited a lot of marginalized groups by providing spaces and shared resources, but the same could be said for white supremacists who are favored and protected by widespread media algorithms.

Daniels, J. (2009a). Cyber racism: White supremacy online and the new attack on Civil Rights. Rowman & Littlefield Publishers.

2. Considering the plot of Nosedive, how would this affect the lives of marginalized folks?

Netflix’s show, Black Mirror, the episode, Nosedive, depicted a dystopian world similar to ours, based on social interactions determining your social status and class. From the perspective of Lacie who begins in the episode as an upcoming 4 star rating, examines the difficulty and relatability to our world's class/credit system that initially determines the spaces you can enter, the access to resources, and the way others treat and view a person based on their rating. I'm curious what this world would look like in a more specific lens on the lives of BIPOC, women, disabled, and/or LGBTQ+, ect communities. This is a world, very similar to ours, where the class you're born into determines the people you're surrounded with and therefore the resource and support one receives. This is a system that works to keep the high ranked rich and the low ranked poor and on a scale that favors high class individuals. But if anyone you interact with can rate you as they please, it would make sense that we would see more marginalized or the “others” away from the norm, as less ranked stars, or the potential to be. I would assume that those marginalized individuals would have a more difficult time receiving higher ranks if they are in environments that don't understand or align with their identities, which could reinforce certain groups to stick together. I could see systems like these reinforcing examples of internalized racism/homophobia/sexism, to better blend in the norm as a sense of survival, almost similar to how we see the character Lacie always putting on a fake smile and a fake happy mood in order to get a high rating from strangers. And this isn't just for the sense of being liked or appreciated but also as a need for access and survivability, like how Lacie only cares about her ratings to get discounts for her new house in a 5 star fancy neighborhood. But what if Lacie is being mistreated as a woman, or something is said or somebody does something that challenges her safety as a woman? I’m curious what would happen if she deals with sexism, how that would look for her, assuming she might just smile through it to stay at a high rating. Although we live in a similar world it's relieving to know not every interaction with people is ranked and therefore determines how you navigate the world. If that was the case I could see a lot of people, even myself finding fake ways to blend in to prevent potential removal of access and discrimination.

3. How does the episode Nosedive, represent and reinforce gender expectations, stereotypes, and heterosexism?

I found it interesting the world building considering gender construct in the episode, Nosedive, depicted with the female protagonist Lacie. First of all, the show represents all the desirable homes, clothing, colors, and attitudes of people to be very cookie cutter and removes any sense of individuality or uniqueness, especially with color and clothing. This is a large aspect of queer, women, black and indigenous POC communities and cultures to dress in a way that supports an individual's culture, history, or a way of dismantling the norm of gender with clothing and color. It's important to note that the color theory used were all pastels, toned down, muted, and tended to determine gender expression by color, blue for males and pink for females, especially in Naomi's wedding scene, but this wasn't always the case. The clothing based on gender expression was extremely similar among characters that appeals to the white cisgender and heterosexual suburban lifestyle. For a futuristic world, almost all clothes were similar to past decades' fashion to appear more polished, muted, and modest. This 5 star world that Lacie is working so hard to join, reinforces this desire for these nuclear family ideals, in a high status neighborhood. Regarding gender expectations I thought it was interesting using Lacie, a woman's experience in this world and the way she attempts to blend into this reinforced concept of femininity in a patriarchal world. The way women in our world are socialized to prioritize their appearance/attractiveness, perform hyper positivity as feminine people, and manage a high social status to maintain an approachable image of womanhood is extremely reflective in this episode. A large common microaggression many women face is the comment, “You should smile more” not only is condensing, but reinforces societies image of a woman's job to please with positivity, accommodate for others emotions, and initially disregards the persons actually feelings and emotions that don't always have to be happy all the time. Knowing this I found it interesting how much Lacie was smiling all the time in public to get what she wanted and to cover up her own understandable feelings of frustration and anxiety. She knows that as a white woman if she wants to attempt to get higher rankings, and be treated better she needs to put on this mask to smile and act happy. It wasn't until we met the Truck driver who had a much lower ranking, who defies the constructs of this need for women to perform, speak, and dress a certain way, really started this change for Lacies appearance. The episode shows how controlling systems like this digital world are reinforcing society's expectations of gender, race, and class to group certain people in unmovable boxes, lose a sense of individuality, and initially blend with the common population as continuous social media consumers.

4. Considering the episode Nosedive, how does this relate to class and determine our inner social circle?

The episode didn't dig too far into the lives of people who were lower ranks or didn't care about the digital social interaction ranking system, but there were a few characters that we could determine what this world appears for them. We do know that people who aren't higher up have a difficult time getting jobs, traveling, purchasing, etc, and even socializing, due to everyone being able to read your class instantly. How does that affect people born into certain classes or the people you hang around? This would probably become everyone's top concern, especially marginalized and lower SES folks, if it determines your rights and access into spaces like schools, medical institutions/clinics, and applying for housing/living. Regarding Lacie’s brother, who the audience can quickly tell didn't care much about the social ranking system and how others view them as much as Lacie did, depicts him making fun of her for this obsession. Although Lacie mentioned in the episode how he achieves most of his high ratings from online video games and his friends that continue to keep his score in the 3’s. The difference between her and her brother who are seemingly born into the same “middle class” of 3’s is that Lacie wants to continue moving up while the brother is content in his space now. This episode was interesting because the digital world that was created, similar to our own, reinforces the idea to stay around people who are your level or most desirably in Lacies case, higher than you to rise yourself up. Although characters like the truck driver who removed herself from the system, what is the consequence of that and what access does she not have anymore? It sounds desirable to step away from such a controlling system but what resources and advantages are being removed or more difficult for a person to navigate in? To me this is explained with her career as a truck driver, maybe suggesting that those out of the system are initially forced into this lower class system to work in lower class jobs and therefore poor living conditions. Ultimately this ranking system works to suppress classes by keeping the rich richer and the poor poorer which impacts who will be in your inner circle.

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Blog Post #4 - The Cyborg and Video Games

How do concepts like the Cyborg and Cyberfeminism appear through practiced gender expression?

I found it really interesting how Donna Haraway mentions the use of “gender-bending” or “cross-dressing” when referring to the way people navigate and use technology, especially Cyberfeminism. Possibly similar to identity tourism, regarding gender expression, Haraway explains how access to cyberspace allowed more people to experiment with gender expression and play with the strict binary roles of gender. It makes me think how easy technology allows for people to speak or say what they want due to the protection behind the screen, and for those who don't know much of their gender expression or trans culture, cyberspace allows free expression to understand themselves further. Technology access has so many uses from negative to positive, it's interesting to see how digital media has benefited communities like trans folks through deconstructions of the gender binaries As Haraway stated in a biographical article from Wired magazine, “In conjunction to technology, it's possible to construct your identity, your sexuality, even your gender just as you please.” Even as restrictive and concerning technology is becoming, it has and continues to pave the road for many queer people to express and further understand their gender and/or sexual identities.

2. How does the Cyborg concept change when considering the privileges of men?

Ow’s writings on, “The Revenge of the Yellowfaced Cyborg Terminator”, covers how Haraway has developed the frames of Cyberfeminism to include all types of women and racial marginalized folks in the concepts of the female-gendered cyborg, who actively work against shutting down dangerous systems of oppression and power. Regarding gender, how does the male cyborg concept differ? Recognizing the binarily opposed power of men, the concept of the gendered cyborg appears different from the female-gendered cyborg as the “dominant” or more privileged gender. Ow mentions, from Haraway's writings, that the white male cyborg as the Terminator who, “continues to march on preestablished pathways of colonization, domination, and destruction through his militarized versions of video games and Nintendo wars(Ow, 53)”. Defining this helps explain and demonstrate the amount of power men, especially white men, have in cyberspace and as cyborgs, mostly due to who holds the power as creators of certain digital media, video games, and spaces that attempt to continue such power. While cyberfeminism is for the deconstruction of systemic powers for all marginalized groups, the male cyborg is one already possessing the highest power and therefore the potential to repeat an already paved down road towards colonialism ideals.

3. How do video games, Shadow Warrior, reinforce the colonial cycle of racism and sexism?

As Ow mentions in his writings, video games like Shadow Warrior for the purpose of white male audiences is to “hide his whiteness(59)” while appreciating Japenese culture before committing acts of genocide and destruction. Video games like these allow comfort for racist behavior and colonialist thinking through the playable characters' language of what they can say, how they appear, and violent acts like destroying detailed cultural homes and statues. When regarding gender, the women displayed and the conversation towards female characters are heavily sexualized and extremely inaccurate. This supports the recreation of harm towards women through players comfort of raping, molesting, and murdering female characters. Games like Shadow Warrior are harmful because they are writing colonialism, genocide, racism and sexism to be enjoyable, free of consequence and addicting to white male users. Which begs the question how this affects or supports how users navigate and behave in the real world?

4. How do we build safer video game platforms free of racism and heterosexism?

In Lisa Nakamura’s TedTalk, “5 Types of Online Racism and Why You Should Care?” depicts the faulty structures of video games for a predominantly white, cis/het, male audiences and the racism that follows. Under the five types of racism mentioned, visual and voice profiling of users, racism against avatars, identity tourism, and anti-immigrant racism are recurring and reflective forms of oppression taking a new form from our social environment now onto video game platforms. I believe first recognizing the harms and racist behavior being reinforced through games and media is a step in understanding what a space needs to be safe and inclusive. Nakamura mentions how most video games don't have assigned jobs for people watching the space for discriminatory behavior that used to exist in order to create healthy spaces. Video Games should require management control in order to build safer spaces free of cyberbullying and targeting of women, LGBTQ+, and black and indigenous people of color communities. Video games are becoming less concerned about discriminatory behavior and more worried about the wealth they make from it. Racism in the media, especially video games, is taking new forms, like the aggressive forms of representations through parody or imitation of racial stereotypes. Understanding who is creating these games and for what desired audience is important in understanding if this is safe for marginalized groups. Now with the increase of game audiences, some video games are created for marginalized groups to play games how they should be, for fun, not reinforcing and implementing colonialistic, dominant, and racist behaviors. Spaces are ever growing and changing especially when people are able to hide who they are, but the creators and the management of video games should be questioned the most for safety concerns regarding marginalized peoples.

Kolko, B. E., Nakamura, L., & Rodman, G. B. (2000). Race in Cyberspace. Routledge.

Nakamura, L. (2011). TED Talk: 5 Types of Online Racism and Why You Should Care. TedTalk. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DT-G0FlOo7g.

Ow, J. A. , Kolko, B., Nakamura, L., & Rodman, G.(2000). Race in Cyberspace. Chapter 4, The Revenge of the Yellowfaced Cyborg Terminator, (1st ed.). Routledge.

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GSS Opening Event!

With our current issues with censorship and controlling whose voices are heard the most in media, its vital to have departments and class courses like GSS, because we are actively fighting against powerful administrations that are trying to silence us. These courses and the GSS department are educating and reinforcing our communities that the government has been attacking and creating false narratives of gender and sexual identities. Trans folks and gender non-conforming folks are under attack by executive orders demanding that there are only two sexes and gender doesn't exist.

insta: @csuf.wgqssa

#ChangingTheNarrative

Algorithms of Oppression - Blog Post #3

What are some long-term consequences of Technological Redlining that Noble mentions? In the book, Algorithms of Oppression, the author, Safiya Noble defined the term technological redlining to highlight the oppressive social relationships and forms of racial profiling that have been coded into our digital algorithms on the internet. The author first wants us to recognize who is creating these values and types of digital decisions that are reinforcing racial and sexist inequalities. Regarding long-term consequences, these are already happening in our world and continue today. One large issue has been the workforce widening the wage gap for women and Black folks by upholding the standards for hiring White men over other marginalized groups. Our digital world and access is not neutral or objective but reflects the actions and behaviors of who set it up and for what purpose the programs were set up for. This is an attempt to forcibly remove access for women and people of color and ultimately reinforces racist and sexist oppressive systems when simply applying for jobs. Another long-term issue that continues today, is the objectification of Black women, for example when googling “Black girls” pulls up pornography websites for racially marginalized women, reinforcing other concepts Noble has coined, “Algorithmic oppression”. We need to understand that the digital world is created by humans, assumingly White men, and if this is the result of simply searching up “Black girls”, then what does this tell us about how they view Black people? These create further harmful long-term consequences that negatively limit marginalized groups from equal access as simple as getting hired and reinforces their views on Black bodies as objects and dehumanizes, to be considered less than human beings(Noble, 2018, p.24-33).

2. Why should we be concerned about popular search engines like Google?

I believe globally people are blinded by the intense overarching access the internet like Google has provided us, and forget how dangerous and weaponized these engines can be used for. This is especially true for White, male, cis/het, and high class identity groups that are responsible for the creation of such algorithms and aren't impacted the same way due to our harmful social system and power structures. Google is one of the most famous search engines globally and used all the time for day-to-day simple tasks, but we need to remember who coded and created these algorithms. As Noble says in, Algorithms of Oppression, “Google Search is an advertising company, not a reliable information company(Noble, 2018, p.34)”. This search engine is responsible for multiple racially oppressive forms by reinforcing racial and gender inequalities, like supporting the false idea of Black folks being facial recognized as “apes” and/or “animals”, limiting hiring access based on gender and race, and continuously “pornifying” women of color to name a few. Through all these negative consequences of oppressive algorithms, Noble urges the need to fight back, and raise voices of concerns in order to impact and change public policy on how marginalized groups are being constrained and negatively viewed in the digital world. As educated individuals we should be spreading this information and awareness to find search engine alternatives that don't reinforce systemic inequalities and discriminatory behavior(Noble, 2018, p.24-36).

3. Why does something as simple as your name hold more weight and potential consequences for racially marginalized groups?

In the book, Race After Technology, by Ruha Benjamin starts the chapter, The New Jim Code, discussing issues and concerns on naming their child as a Black and Arabic parent. As we know our names are important titles of our own personal identities that depict our families history through religion, nationality, gender, race, and ethnicity. Something as simple and empowering as naming your child for marginalized groups holds more concerning weight due to the extensive amount of racial profiling and discrimination, like when going to the airport, getting a job, or getting into schools. Benjamin shares a research experiment depicting the difference in callbacks for jobs depending on White-sounding names versus Black-sounding names examined the stark difference in racial treatment. “White-sounding first names received 50 percent more callbacks from employers than job seekers with Black-sounding names. They calculated that the racial gap was equivalent to eight years of relevant work experience, which White applicants did not actually have(Benjamin, 2019, p.22)” It's a difficult decision for racially marginalized parents to choose a name they know will systematically impact the way their child maneuvers through a binarily opposed world(Benjamin, 2019, p.16-22).

4. How can White folks further understand their own racial identities to further prevent racist behavior and thought?

As a White American of Euro-Welsh descent, I find a lot of my White family, friends, and peers to understand racism and racial inequality but always struggle to fully define their own racial identity and culture. In the book, Race After Technology, by Ruha Benjamin, she mentions how her White students failed at understanding their own racial identity saying their name is “normal” and that they are “cultureless” as a White person. The author states, “Invisibility, with regards to Whiteness, offers immunity. To be unmarked by race allows you to reap the benefits but escape responsibility for your role in an unjust system…Whiteness works for them like an armor and force field when dealing with the police. A “normal” name is just one of many tools that reinforce racial invisibility(Benjamin, 2019, p. 21)”. The fact that there are White people who don't consider themselves to have “culture” or “race” further widens the gap of racial inequality by ignoring heightened racial privilege in this world. By truly understanding and shaping your own healthy cultural and racial identity is one of the first steps for acknowledging the harmful ways marginalized folks are treated based on race and ethnicity. White folks should spend time learning and understanding what makes us White, what privileges and advantages does Whiteness bring to our lives, and how we should be using these privileges to help and protect marginalized groups from the unequal systemic powers. Unfortunately due to our history and present systems of power, White Americans hold more advantage in this world, so instead of feeling guilty about it, or hiding behind it, we should be actively fighting back against racially oppressive systems by using that advantage. I really enjoyed Benjamin's quote about how it's the White person's responsibility to fight back in the racially oppressed system. Just recognizing racial privilege doesn't solve anything but further prevent us, ourselves, from unnecessarily harming marginalized racial groups. We need to be educating our family, friends, and peers, updating them and teaching them by doing the hard work ourselves, to prevent racist behavior, thought, and action(Benjamin, 2019, p. 16-22).

Benjamin, R. (2020). Race after technology: Abolitionist Tools for The New Jim Code. Polity.

Noble. (2018). Algorithms of oppression. New York University Press.

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Critical Thinking and Cyberfeminism - Blog #2

In regards to social media communication, what role does ‘Power’ play in our daily lives? -Power is a challenging concept when it comes to social media access and ultimately means that one group has more influence on society at the expense of another group. Who holds the power is an important question and therefore who is powerless or lacks certain advantages. Currently, power is held mostly by rich politicians, companies, and influencers that use these benefits to their advantage and systematically ignores the status of company workers or employees that creates an even larger wealth gap. Communication power can be a tool, or a weapon, that should be used to uplift unheard marginalized voices, but given its historical context this isn't the case(Fuchs, 2014, p. 7-8).

Why is Critical Thinking so important now more than ever? -Critical theory and thinking challenges the white, masculine, cisgender, and heteronormative system that surrounds how our country is governed through policies and media content. With the current high rise of social media comes an abundant amount of misinformation that can quickly spread like wildfires. These suppressive systems we live in, don't want the public questioning the information given out, which is a huge concern. Historically news and media has almost never been for the marginalized voices and instead has been used as a form of suppression to control the public opinion and sway biases. Critical thinking is more vital than ever these days because it constantly challenges the concepts of what is true and works to create equitable representation. It's a constant battle to remove the structures of domination and exploitation against marginalized communities and voices(Fuchs, 2014, p. 10-11).

How has Cyberfeminism been used to improve the lives of women globally? -Cyberfeminism is a movement that utilizes technology to fight against gender inequality and discrimination by organizing and sharing spaces with different individuals globally. Cyber feminists have created several global social movements that fight against gender inequality, for example the Revolutionary Association of Women of Afghanistan to oppose the Taliban’s cruel treatment of women's daily lives. The heightened access to the global internet has linked common experiences shared by women who face specific gender disparities based on class, race, religion and location. Ultimately cyberfeminism has advanced the feminist movements to share safe spaces and communities under the same goal of building equality for all(Daniels, 2009, p. 103-108).

What does Cyberfeminism look like for QLBT women? -Already Cyberfeminism is building safe spaces for different types of women and individuals to find commonality and build communities. Specifically regarding queer and trans women, the internet has been a huge resource to find information and a sense of community that resists the suppression of gender and sexuality identities. The global access to the internet was an extremely positive change for the trans community because it shared information on what transitioning looks like(social and medical) and how to find access in the medical field. This not only aided trans people but has helped normalize these unique experiences of gender expression and social constructs. Now in 2025 this is still the case, many trans women, including myself, go onto the internet to find our own research and shared experiences. It gives us access to talk and listen to others who have been or going through gender transition to share their experiences, expectations, and growth as people(Daniels, 2009, p. 113-115).

Daniels, J. (2009). Rethinking cyberfeminism(s): Race, gender, and embodiment. WSQ: Women’s Studies Quarterly, 37(1–2), 101–124. https://doi.org/10.1353/wsq.0.0158

Fuchs, C. (2014). Social Media: A Critical Introduction. https://doi.org/10.4135/9781446270066

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T1D Technology

Growing up with emerging technology is definitely a unique experience for everyone in their own way. Personally for me, my relationship with technology is a little different because of my disability as a type 1 diabetic. This is an adolescent, autoimmune, and permanent disease that stops the production of insulin in the body that destabilizes the control of blood sugar. The way I rely on technology is interestingly different from your average person due to the technological advances made in the recent years. I’m now able to give myself insulin and know my blood sugar levels through my phone that's connected to the devices attached to me. I am quite literally attached to technology 24/7. When I was younger this did not exist and instead I was poking and injecting myself with needles over 10x a day. It's scary to rely on technology like this because if for whatever reason the internet goes down or the apocalypse happens, how am I going to be safe and carry on? Technology like this sometimes doesn't always live up to the expectations, for example a recent new advancement has been something called the closed loop system which works with your insulin pump and your blood sugar monitor machine to work as one. So if your blood sugar goes up then the machine will automatically give you insulin to bring the glucose down. Sounds really nice, but a large flaw in this design was the over application of insulin. As T1D’s our blood sugar is affected by everything we do, physically, emotionally, and mentally and this new advancement doesn't always take that into consideration and creates a new problem. For example, exercise for me tends to lower my blood sugar. If I’m riding high blood sugars and I’m working out, but the new closed loop system doesn't know this and still gives me more insulin, I'm going to be dealing with extremely dangerous low glucose. I’ve been managing my body like this for over a decade since I was 10 years old, so It feels weird allowing this machine to do the work for me when I know my body and how it reacts better than anyone or any machine. Don't get me wrong, I'm so thankful for the access to medicine and technology today that those in the past never got to live to experience. But there are always flaws and issues with technology like this that do not consider all other outside factors. We should use, adapt and understand technology but we should also remind ourselves how to live when we don't have this type of access anymore.

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