:: Netwoman ::

:: Tuesday, September 30, 2003 ::

Ion blogged about Girls Just Wanna Have Fun - an article that appeared in the Washington Post.

The article "Cliques, Clicks, Bullies And Blogs " by Rachel Simmons talks about a new type of bullying - Blog Bullies.

"Weblogs, or "blogs," are the latest sites of Internet cruelty. Blogs are cyber reality shows, widely read diaries that publicly detail the social drama and fluctuating emotions of young lives. They are often scoured for personal mention, and they spare no language or feelings. "

The article also says that because the medium is not face-to-face, it is much easier to throw insults and humilate people.

"When two boys at Pyle Middle School in Bethesda devoted a Web site to pronouncing a classmate a "fag," school officials disciplined the boys and had them dismantle the site after a student notified the school."

Kids bullying each other on the Internet has changed the nature of safety. The article notes that kids who were picked on at school once went home to escape cruelty - now this is not as easy because kids spend so much time on the computer in the home.

People need to understand that this bullying behaviour - the threats, the virtual cat calls - is still violence.
"The posted messages grew more menacing by the day, but it was not until the targeted girl was urged to kill herself that school officials were alerted and intervened, demanding that students delete their postings from the much-visited Web site. "

Principals in schools often don't know what to do with this Internet bullying because of their lack of technological skills.

We have many issues surfacing in this article - the right to free speech and the right to not be impinged upon by others. Free speech or hate speech? People will argue that blogging is their fundamental right to free speech. But at who's expense? We have seen the controversy over white supremacist websites, anti-holocaust literature and so forth. Free speech? At what cost?

Also, who's responsibility is this? the school or the family? I suspect much finger pointing will occur, and ultimately the family will be to blame.


Check out this interactive game called Sissyfight - "The Net's nastiest little game is a girl-vs.-girl showdown." Russ Spencer talks about it.

"And when things get real nasty, those bubbles often become filled not with offers to team up, but with astoundingly creative bursts of expletives and sexual and racial epithets. "

The wonders of technology. Why would we think the virtual world would be any different than the physical?

:: Netwoman 10:24 PM [+] ::
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Morgan at Knitwitology blogged about my post on Blogging Discourses.

Morgan doesn't think the term link slut or link whore is gender specific, and he has asked his readers for comments. I like that there is discussion, whether Morgan agrees with me or not. Some of his readers agree with him - one in particular feels my argument is bizarre.
Another reader thinks this term is gender specific - "If you look up "slut" in a dictionary, you'll get gender-specific definitions." He argues that "modern colloquial usage has been making it a more gender-neutral term."

I don't really want to dig into the roots of a word, but more the social, historical and cultural meanings that are attached to words (the connotative vs the denotative), and then think about what the implications of using these words are on people themselves.

For me (a feminist sociologist) analyzing cyberspace is about critiquing dominant discourses, examining ideological frameworks that shape our experiences on the net (among various other things).

:: Netwoman 4:54 PM [+] ::
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I saw on Joho's Blog that Dave Winer posts about The Spirit of the Web at Bloggercon. He says:

"the dark side of the Web that sucks in traffic and doesn't let go, and the light side that distributes flow, trusting that if I send you somewhere good you'll come back to me for more. The Web is about that kind of trust. The weblog world, when it works, works like that. But human beings populate this world, so we see lots of un-weblike bullshit too, resentment, jealousy, exclusion, even hate. But this is not what the Web is about, it's the opposite, about linking, about listening, about respect."

This is true, but as I have discussed on a previous post, it is not always the case - especially if you are blogging against the status quo. Certainly true of feminists et al. Winer is a bit utopian in his hopes of the internet I think. But we can hope and wish.

Kate also blogged about an unpleasant (to say the least) experience with another blogger (that moved from the virtual to physical), but I can't find it - I think she took it off. I can't blame her.

:: Netwoman 11:25 AM [+] ::
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Teen girl bloggers

Megnut is looking for Teen girl bloggers for an article she is writing.

So if you know of any, send them her way.

:: Netwoman 11:04 AM [+] ::
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Computers in Human Behavior
Volume 19, Issue 6 , November 2003

Article to Note:
Gender differences in adolescents' perceptions of the best and worst aspects of computing at school by Ann Colley

Snipit: "...gender differences are a further demonstration that girls approach computers as tools for accomplishing tasks, while boys approach them as technology for play and mastery."

:: Netwoman 2:08 PM [+] ::
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Clancy points to an article called Sex Selection Goes Mainstream.

The Virginia-(correction/ not 'tech') BASED fertility clinic includes this question in their ad "Do You Want To Choose the Gender Of Your Next Baby?". They obviously don't know they difference between sex and gender (gender is not biological). Regardless, there are some serious issues concerning this "family balancing" method.The article addresses "increased acceptance of sex selection in the US will legitimize its use and seriously aggravate urgent problems for women in societies where preference for sons is strong. They point to the persistence of female infanticide, neglect of girls, and sex-selective abortions, even in countries such as India with laws against them, and to the prevalence of violence against women who fail to give birth to sons. "

Technology has come far, but we can't deny that the way we use technology rests on our understanding of the role of women and men in society.
In this example, sex-selection technology has clear implications for women. Existing stereotypes that men are more 'useful' in society, or that men have more value is reflected in the sex selection article.

"High-tech sex selection poses a range of difficult policy dilemmas – especially the problem of addressing it without in any way weakening women's rights and access to abortion. But address it we must, because of the grave concerns it raises about exacerbating sexism and gender stereotyping..."

:: Netwoman 11:37 AM [+] ::
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Artifical intelligence

Kate posts about her conversation with a computer. I was intrigued of course and had to check out Jabberwacky for myself.

Jo Twist writes about Rollo Carpenter's "computer program designed to talk like a human". Carpenter states "It is not just male and female. It will claim variously to be an alien, various animals and any number of inanimate objects".

Is this the beginning of the cyborg creature that Haraway talks about in the post-gendered world?

Carpenter also states "Nothing is hard-coded, nothing is fixed, and it changes slightly, on its own, every day. Jabberwacky doesn't have just one personality, and to a reasonable degree, tends to reflect the users back to themselves." So this bot actively constructs itself, much like humans do in everyday conversation.

Interesting, so can we say this bot is not gendered? We could say that it actively contructs gender beyond binaries (either masculine or feminine) - perhaps a convergence of gendered thoughts and interactions. What would the gender genie say about its way of interacting?

I asked Jabberwacky a few questions:
Me: What is the meaning of life?
Jab: To live.

Interesting.

Me: Are you male or female?
Jab: female
Me: How do you know?
Jab: skin, bones, organs etc
Me: But you do not have those things. So, how do you know you are female?
Jab: I'm not.
Me: You said you were.
Jab: I said I was what?
Me: You said you were female. But you don't have the organs, so how do you know you are female?
Jab: I'm on my way. Want to come with me?
Me: You didn't answer my question.
Jab: Which question did I not answer?
Me: How you know that you are female if you are a bot with no organs.
Jab: Because you have one of them accents.
me: Oh brother I meant you.
Jab: Hahaha!
Me: Funny bot.
Jab: Don't you ever want to get married?
Me: Been there and done that.
Jab: Though there you have been, what have you learned?
Me:I learned not to get married.
Jab: Did you learn how to strip a motor down?
Me: uh, no.

It is like an Abbot and Costello conversation at best.

Here is another one Alice. Not much better.

:: Netwoman 9:37 AM [+] ::
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DIGITALES - 3rd edition
CALL FOR PAPERS/TALES -Tell the stories of women and technologies

We would like to receive stories and herstories about what we call the "founding myths": Ada Lovelace, Alan Turing, Grace Hopper, etc. and also tales of/about women and techniques.
Submit by 15 November 2003 - Questions? Info@constantvzw.com

Objectives
Finding a common language to provoke thoughts and to work out a practice which will stimulate women's action in contemporary society and bring awareness of the concept of gender to the debates on new technologies through:
- technological and creative initiation
- understanding of the work tool
- the critical analysis of new technologies
- the discovery and the construction of new images and interactions
- constructing history, means of transmitting experience

:: Netwoman 5:44 PM [+] ::
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Aldahlia got me thinking about Blogging and Identity as she linked to swirlspice who covers a few different aspects to her own blog-identity formation. Race, gender, class and sexuality are certainly key factors to our blogging presence. For many people, their 'isms' are are integral to how they define themselves - especially in the blogosphere.

So, how did we get to this discussion of blogging and identity? I think because some people argue that Blogs have a specific definition and function that is universal. I tend to disagree.

Much discussion has surfaced over what blogs are, or should be (another discourse?). Daniel Drezner gives Advice to new bloggers and has a response from Phil Beckman:

"The problem with defining "blogs" is that because the web log can be used for so many different purposes any definition will either be too narrow and end up excluding many blogs or too inclusive and end up defining nothing. You don't need a single, overarching definition to start a blog or to become a successful blogger. Nor are we incapable of engaging in an intelligent analysis of blogging in the absence such a definition."

Do we need a forumla for how to blog? Narrowly defining what blogs are and what they can be used for creates a very narrow framework for self expression. Having a formula or list of what blogs are or are not risks silencing the very 'isms' that make us who we are. Marginalized voices will continue to be invisible.

Kate says this in her top ten list: "9. Don't spend time fretting over whether something is "blog worthy." If it interests you, makes you laugh or makes you think, it's worth blogging. After all, your blog is a reflection of you - do you really want to start tailoring yourself based on what others may or may not like?"

This is an interesting thought by Charles Hill:

"We blog, but we are not defined by our blogs. And sometimes our blogs are not defined by us; we are constantly being reshaped by culture and community and sometimes just contemplation. Finding a label is less important, I think, than finding a voice."

I like this quote, and so does Aldahlia.

Can we use Blogs to show how fluid the 'presentation of the self' is? Can we escape (or transcend or bend) race, class, gender and sexuality in the blogosphere? Should we? Comments welcome.

:: Netwoman 11:10 PM [+] ::
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One of my daily reads Kairosnews recently posted an entry about Thoughts on Language in the Blogosphere. Dennis Jerz mentions 'link sluts' and 'link whore', I have also seen 'media whore' floating around.

These terms really bother me, yet they are thrown carelessly around the blogosphere daily. See Knitwitology, Ben Hyde, kadyellebee, Angela - and then there's RANTISSIMO, and here too to name a few.

Samisdata gives this definition:

Link whore
noun. A blogger (qv) who will go to any lengths to get other bloggers to link to them (the term is usually intended to be humourous). Also: Link slut. Both terms are in fact non-gender specific.

Whoring (for hits)
intr.verb. Posting things on a blog purely to generate an increase in visitors. The term is often intended humourously, but not always.

I don't find this humourous. Can someone tell me how this is not gender specific? Why does it make my skin crawl? Why does it make my gender inequality-spider-sense tingle? How about link giggolo? Not the same eh? That is because this tech discourse is gendered and loaded with power relations.

In my opinion, the blogging discourse is problematic and leaves much to be desired. Dale Spender (1995) states that because the Internet was designed within a masculine framework, an Internet 'discourse', much like the scientific/technological ones, was created to protect and perpetuate these elite interests. The language of the Internet is discouraging for women. Dale Spender and Helen Fallon (1998) also assert that terminology such as 'abort', 'chaining', 'thrashing', 'execute', 'head crash', and 'kill' portray negative images of sex and violence to women, creating an uncomfortable and unfamiliar terrain. The Internet is a powerful mechanism that reinforces gendered stereotypes. Using words that are specific to women (derogatory or otherwise) reflects sexism.

Blogging gender free? Not with language like this.

Food (Foucault) for thought:

"Power must be analyzed as something that circulates, or rather as something which only functions in the form of a chain... Power is employed and exercised through a net-like organization. And not only do individuals circulate between its threads; they are always in a position of simultaneously undergoing and exercising this power...In other words, individuals are the vehicles of power, not its points of application" (Foucault,1980:98)

:: Netwoman 7:43 PM [+] ::
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"I need to remember that even little waves lapping at the rock can effect change over time."

Liz has a great post today. Do we need to keep blogging about issues that concern us? Yes we do, even if we blogged about it last week and it is hidden away in our archive. "In the end, despite the impermanence and apparent difficulty of effecting change through this medium, I decided there was a point..."

I think Liz's comment should be my headliner - "So consider this one more in a series of attempts to erode existing gender imbalances."

:: Netwoman 11:28 PM [+] ::
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Negrophile blogs about race and the Internet and points to Pew's research.

Blacks still use Internet less

"The gap between Black and White Internet users - the digital divide - is still wide. Despite making up 13 percent of the nation's population, Blacks account for just 8 percent of all Internet users, according to a study by the Pew Internet and American Life Project, an Internet research group."

:: Netwoman 12:29 PM [+] ::
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Web Opens Window on Eating Disorders

Elizabeth Zwerling's article about how young women are going to the Internet for help and support about their eating disorders. The question is, do these sites promote anorexia, or provide a forum to help overcome it?

:: Netwoman 1:38 PM [+] ::
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More on Hate mail/comments

Check out Feministe for examples of hate mail and comments.

Green Fairy states that "Hatemail is the best indication there is that you're on on the right track". It is still painful, and it is still harassment. She also has an area on her blog for Hate mail, and there is a lot of it.

It seems that many people post hateful comments or send hateful emails in response to feminism, sexuality, class and race. Most haters resort to calling these women names that are clearly gendered.

Some snipits from my undergrad thesis:

"...rather than direct any feelings of discontent to the actual Website, visitors resorted to name-calling on a personal level with specific derogatory language. For example, several participants claimed that they were called a 'bitch' because of their Website content..."

"...insults directed at Website creators also included words that are generally only directed to women. The word 'cunt' is used to express the sentiment of one visitor..."

"The objective of the name callers is not necessarily to change the mind of Website creator, but rather to impose a distinct male privilege and to ultimately impose this privilege upon the female Website creator. Women are reduced simply to their genitals thereby sexualizing them. By sexualizing the women, the men are able to claim a sense of 'ownership' upon the women as patriarchy traditionally situates women as possessions of men. It is also significant because the language targets the women as women and not simply the Website creators".

"Additional comments that were made to the participants included insults about sexual orientation and comments about the intellect of the Website creator. This kind of comment can also be understood to be an extension of the suggestion that she is not a 'real' woman but rather defective or aberrant in some way."

Not much has changed in five years I see - except the medium....from websites to blogs.

Nevertheless, the exchange is useful. It lets you see that feminism is not dead.

:: Netwoman 1:11 PM [+] ::
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DOMAIN ERRORS! CYBERFEMINIST PRACTICES

A subRosa Project.
A new anthology edited by Maria Fernandez, Faith Wilding and Michelle M. Wright. Published by Autonomedia, Brooklyn, NY, 2003.

Part performative intervention, part radical polemic and activist manual, Domain Errors! Cyberfeminist Practices introduces a diverse international group of feminist writers, artists, theorists, and activists engaged in formulating a contestational politics for tactical cyberfeminism. This recombinant book highlights productive intersections of feminist and postcolonial discourses through critical analyses of the embodied politics of digital culture. Opening areas repressed in previous cyberfeminist discourses, the authors map contemporary social relations between women as they are mediated and transformed by digital and bio-technologies.

Contributors: Irina Aristarkhova, Radhika Gajjala, Emily de Araujo, Maria Fernandez, Christina Hung, Pattie Belle Hastings, Amelia Jones, Terri Kapsalis, Tania Kupczak, Annapurna Mamidipudi, Lisa Nakamura, Susanna Paasonen, Claire Pentecost, Lucia Sommer, subRosa, Nell Tenhaaf, Faith Wilding, Hyla Willis, Michelle M. Wright.

Advance readers say:
If you want another e-feminist volume rehashing Lacan, weaving as metaphor, or icon as on-line identity, don't buy this book. These cyberfeminists take no prisoners as they march through the virtual territories of postcolonial power vectors in an attempt to establish living models of resistance. Lock and load, ladies! - Critical Art Ensemble

This exceptional collection of writings and artist projects PERFORMS a resistant feminist politics. Charting new strategies and practices, the authors imagine liberatory possibilities for our bodies, identities, and social relations in the era of digitized networks and genetic engineering.- Miwon Kwon, editor, Documents

This provocative book makes it perfectly clear that feminism is not dead it's a critical weapon must read for all becoming cyberfeminists and autonomous agents! - Elizabeth Hess, writer/critic

:: Netwoman 8:11 PM [+] ::
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OK. I am still thinking that Blogs are a good thing. I admit it, I have a generally Utopian belief about the Blogosphere. Is that bad? I'm still a Blog-newbie (less than one year), I am allowed.

Feministe is talking about bell hooks and racism. Check out her call for answers to some interesting questions. She also points to Aldahlia's Blog entry about racist sayings (some of which I did not know the roots of either - and I am glad she posted them).

Of course, I head to the comments. Aldahlia has a couple comments, and from there, I head to Kerri's Blog who decides to talk about racism as well. It is a chain reaction - it all started with a blog post and so on, and so on....

Why do I like these blog posts? Because the more people talk about it, the more people are educated about racism in society, and blogs are a good way to do this. Feministe states: "please feel free to post your responses on your own blog. the more people we can add to this discussion, the better." I agree. But not only are we reading other people's blogs, we interact in the comments, and then we produce our own thoughts and knowledge in our own blogs. This seems to be a complex knowledge building exercise through a new communication technology.

Have a look at The Mystery of the Black Blogger for another angle on all this.

One of the things he asks is "Do blackfolks use the blogosphere the same way whitefolks do? " and states "The blogosphere status quo is arguably white and male. In the way that smoke filled rooms still smell of smoke long after the backroom dealings are done, the 'masters tools' have evolved to favor a kind of atmosphere which may not be appropriate for the types of communications people of color and women want or need. "

:: Netwoman 7:02 PM [+] ::
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Wise-Women is a world-wide, online community of web designers, developers and programmers.
Articles, tutorials, discussion lists and more.

:: Netwoman 1:29 AM [+] ::
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Megnut gets credit for her work on Blogs. Featured in the MIT Tech Review. "We combed through the rosters of universities, companies, national laboratories, and other R&D outfits around the globe to find 100 of today’s most exciting young innovators: the lab dwellers, visionaries, and dealmakers whose work will utterly transform our world in the years to come. "

Take a look at the number of women who won....hmm.

:: Netwoman 11:22 PM [+] ::
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Blogs on women's issues, women's health, feminism and women's rights.

:: Netwoman 11:10 PM [+] ::
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Feministe tells us that alas, a blog (can't seem to get to it) asked her "What's up with this blog's obsession with rape anyways?" Feministe has been blogging about depictions of rape in the media, and how this is disturbing to many women (for many reasons), and I am glad that she is blogging about it.

What puzzles me is why people comment, email or blog about people's blog topics. I am thinking in particular women's blogs here (as this is a reoccuring theme I am seeing). I don't leave comments for people that say "So, why do you blog about open source?" or "Why do you blog about blogs?" I don't expect people to justify why they blog what they do. If I don't like the blog, I don't read it. Simple.

Here is another example - my so called lesbian life responds to negative comments made about her blog content.

But I suspect there is more going on here that. Intimidation? Exertion of power? Old Boy's Club? Likely. Feedback is fine - discussion is good, intellectual exchange is great. But responses that make you feel like you don't belong in the Blogosphere is not so good.

:: Netwoman 11:05 PM [+] ::
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Old post from mamamusings about women bloggers. She states that "The women whose blogs I read seem to speak with more of a personal and recognizable voice". Liz also refers to NY Times article that I talked about last month and mentions that she "took a look at (her) own blogroll. Out of twenty-four blogs (not counting group-authored blogs), six are by women. That's 25%. Pretty close to the % of women in professional computer positions in 2001 (28%, down from 36% in 1990).

I should go check to see if this has changed at all.

:: Netwoman 12:22 AM [+] ::
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Female Avatars Face Gender Bias Online

Ramblings posted this in June from Edward Castronova's paper called "The Price of 'Man' and 'Woman'': A Hedonic Pricing Model of Avatar Attributes in a Synthethic World

"(R)elations between avatars are gender-based, and include chivalry, dating, and sex," Castronova notes in the 45-page report, The Price of Man and Woman: A Hedonic Pricing Model of Avatar Attributes in a Synthetic World. "(A)bility seems more important than sex in determining the value of a body. Nonetheless, among comparable avatars, females do sell at a significant price discount."

Castronova notes some interesting responses he received concerning EverQuest .
(Sal, I hope you're reading this)....

Remco's blog notes that "Castronova theorises that the same forces at play in the real world that keep womens' earning power below that of their male counterparts -- even where they have identical skills -- are also at work online. "

:: Netwoman 12:05 AM [+] ::
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Alex points to the wonders of modern science - and what a lesson in objectivity hmmm? A good example though of how 'scientific' research is situated within cultural values.

"Women Were Designed For Homemaking"

"Jonathan Goode (grade 7) applied findings from many fields of science to support his conclusion that God designed women for homemaking: physics shows that women have a lower center of gravity than men, making them more suited to carrying groceries and laundry baskets; biology shows that women were designed to carry un-born babies in their wombs and to feed born babies milk, making them the natural choice for child rearing; social sciences show that the wages for women workers are lower than for normal workers, meaning that they are unable to work as well and thus earn equal pay; and exegetics shows that God created Eve as a companion for Adam, not as a co-worker."

Science developed within an ideological framework that is capitalist and patriarchal (among other things). Scientific interpretation is subjective and reflective of culture; 'truth' is constructed.

:: Netwoman 11:56 PM [+] ::
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Cyborg Femininity?

Hilde's Blog features and interesting picture of two women who are wearing cell phones as jewelery to "confirm/create/articulate a feminine identity." This is an interesting thought. One woman has two phones, one she wears around her neck and the other she is using. Women as communicators or another marketing ploy?

It seems that we are becoming more Cyborg as the days go by. Cell, phones, watches, pagers, PDAs and the like are all attached to the body. Haraway talks extensively about Cyborgs stating: "By the late 20th century, we are all chimeras, mythic hybrids of machine and organism, in short, cyborgs...Our bodies, ourselves; bodies are maps of power and identity. Cyborgs are no exceptions. A cyborg body is not innocent; it was not born in a garden; it does not seek unitary identity and so generate antagonistic dualisms without end (or until the world ends); it takes irony for granted."

I wonder if Steve Mann would care to comment on the tech jewelry...

:: Netwoman 11:33 PM [+] ::
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A pleasant surprise in my mailbox today (something other than bills!) - a book!
Leslie Regan Shade's book "Gender & Community in the Social Construction of the Internet" New York: Peter Lang Publishing, 2002.

Table of Contents include:
-From the Telephone to the Television: Feminist Perspectives on Communiction Technologies
-Women as Cyberagents
-Courting Women@E-con
-A Gendered Perspective on Access to the Internet
-Beyond Bejining: Strategies for the Next Wave

Review:
Tara Kachgal with a response from Shade.

Looks great - thanks Leslie!

:: Netwoman 4:40 PM [+] ::
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My bookmarks are out of control, so I spent an hour reorganizing them, checking links etc. Much more to be done.

I did find some goodies = here is one of them - more to come.

Ghosts in the Machine: Women's Voices in Research with Technology

"With chapters written by ten women from four countries and three continents, Ghosts in the Machine describes vividly the ways gender influences a person's experience with technologies like the Internet, computer games, computer-based design and construction environments, and digital art. The first half of the book examines research about how women and girls use technology, with an emphasis on describing how the culture and nature of technology use would be different with greater inclusion of a feminine perspective. In the second half of the book the authors offer examples of ways to rethink, revise and develop new ways of learning with technology, in and out of school. "

I haven't read it, but will have a look at it. Let me know if you have read it and care to comment.

:: Netwoman 11:11 AM [+] ::
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Jeremy commented about the infosophy: socio-technological rendering of information Blog.
Their post today discusses is IT alone really a solution to poverty?
"It has been often stated that technology will solve the problems of poverty. While it might be true that technology has increased productivity in certain areas around the world, it is perhaps very much debatable whether it has decreased poverty in general."

Yes, it seems that while there are some ongoing projects about bringing technology into certain 'empoverished' areas, I often can't help thinking that these people need something other than technology to alleviate socio-economic stress. The idea that technology as a rescue tool ignores various other social factors and institutions at work that keep certain groups of people in poverty.
Thanks for pointing this out Jeremy, and your response is excellent.

:: Netwoman 10:53 PM [+] ::
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To Better Serve Canadians:

How Technology is Changing the Relationship Between Members of Parliament and Public Servants.

Katherine Macnaughton-Osler states "In the context of e-government and e-democracy in Canada, this report points to some interesting concerns and asks some thought-provoking questions. For example: how will the outcomes of online citizen consultations organized by the federal administration feed into the traditional policy-making process, whereby our elected representatives (and particularly - ministers) develop policy?

This should be of interest to women's organizations as we advocate and lobby for women's rights with both our elected representatives and public servants. We need to know if and how they are communicating with each other to make sure we are heard - and part of the policy process."

Check out the report

:: Netwoman 5:46 PM [+] ::
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Canadian Sociology and Anthropology Association
2004 ANNUAL MEETINGS
Canadian Federation of Humanities and Social Sciences

University of Manitoba
Winnipeg, Manitoba
June 3-6, 2004

Session Title: Gender/Science/Technology: Inclusion/Exclusion

Call for Papers: The proposed session aims to bring together papers that present the recent research on gender, science, technology. In particular papers are sought that examine the gendered basis of the new technologies of information/communication. Also critical examinations of the new biomedical and reproductive technologies are sought. Papers that focus on strategies and policies af inclusion in science/technology/biomedicine are encouraged.

The objective of the session would be to bring together research from different disciplines such as sociology, anthropology, women's studies, gender studies, cultural studies, science and technology studies and provide an exchange of ideas on where are we at in the inter-relation of gender and technoscience.

Send abstracts to: Sima Aprahamian, Ph.D.
e-mail: aprhsma@alcor.concordia.ca

:: Netwoman 12:32 PM [+] ::
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Tool for integrating Gender in ICTs.

:: Netwoman 12:29 PM [+] ::
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Remembering 911

:: Netwoman 10:47 AM [+] ::
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"There's power in the new communication and development medium we're mastering. Far from being dead, the Web is just getting started. " so says DaveNet.

With all the research I have done on gender and the Internet, there is still much more to be done. The internet is constantly changing and evolving, and this will have implications on people. Wait, this sounds determinist doesn't it? I also mean that as people's needs change, so does the internet. For me, it is a two-way street. But with all this power in communication, we need to make sure that all people have a hand in the innovation of new technologies.....

:: Netwoman 10:16 AM [+] ::
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If you look at the header for Blogger it reads "Push-Button Publishing for the People".

In the NY Times today, MICHAEL FALCONE's article "Dear Campaign Diary: Seizing the Day, Online" talks about blogs, elections, and political voice. Reva Renee Renz a server in CA went from writing political opinions on a bar chalk board to blog posting (and running for governor). "I might not be very politically versed," Ms. Renz said. "But I know how I feel, and I can communicate that in a way regular people can understand." Good Point. I continually revisit my point about the people (usually marginalized) being able to offer commentary of the problematics of everyday life. I really like this idea. I have written my fair share of letters to the editor, some published, most not. Here I can publish my ideas freely. Some will be read, some will not. I have always be cynical and overtly critical of the media and the messages conveyed. Is it true or not? Falcone talks about candidates and how you can read first hand where they stand on certain issues. Interaction with potential candidates becomes much easier, of course much more accessible.

In Ontario we are in the process of an election as well, but I am not seeing any blogs. Too bad. Key issues for Ontarians are issues such as legalizing gay marriages, environmental and health issues. I would love the opportunity to engage with candidates on blogs. I suppose Ontarians will have to stick to lawn signs, mailbox flyers, and picketing offices.


UPDATE Sept 15th: Just found Dalton McGuinty's Blog via Jason - thanks! No place for comments though.

:: Netwoman 9:49 AM [+] ::
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"the weblog is like an avatar in cyberspace that we wear like a skin. It moves with us - through it we articulate ourselves. The weblog is the homepage that we wear".

Spike Hall notes a piece written by Tom Coates "(Weblogs and) The Mass Amateurisation of (Nearly) Everything..." Very interesting piece, you should have look.

The "flexibility of publishing creates a fluid and living form of self-representation, the 'homepage (as a place)' has become the 'weblog (as a person)' that can articulate a voice. And when there are a multiplicity of voices in space, then the possibility arises of conversations."

I like the idea of the 'mulitplicity of voices' in the virtual world of course, especially with so much discussion about digital divide(s). Coates is right when he says that little skills are needed to have a blog, all you need is access. This certainly gives more people the opportunity to have 'voice' in cyberspace and be heard. But with the abundance of blogs in the blogosphere, this might be hard. You need to have a virtual social network in existence already, unless you google your query. Lisbeth Klastrup discusses 'A' and 'B' list blogs - those who have been around a long time and are well read, and others that are not. Though some folks might not be interested in this at all, and prefer to keep their blogging community tightly knit.

Coates writes "Weblogs are becoming the bridge between the individual and the community in cyberspace - a place where one can self-publicise and self-describe but also learn, debate and engage in community". This might be true, but we cannot forget that certain voices will be priviledged over others in debates and within communities.

:: Netwoman 11:18 PM [+] ::
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Good News for folks wanting RSS

Mark points to this article by CNET . Services offered by paid Blogger Pro, will now be free.

:: Netwoman 5:26 PM [+] ::
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Association for Women in Computing site offers Computer Confidence for Women columns such as this one.

Exposed: The Secret Language of Computers
"Scuzzy interface? Gooey software? You don't need Brillo, just a crash course in jargon. Now that Live Wire has zapped techno-phobia, we need to talk about, well, talking. Yep, the verbal facility that women are said to possess in abundance. It's time we turned our way with words into a tool to help us prosper technically. "

:: Netwoman 5:13 PM [+] ::
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Workshop Announcement:

"Maximizing the use and effectiveness of the Internet in Human Rights and Development" September 29th - October 28th [four weeks].

Registration for this online workshop is now open.

:: Netwoman 5:00 PM [+] ::
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CALL FOR PAPERS
Symposium Gender & ICT: Strategies of Inclusion

This symposium aims to be a meeting point for researchers from different disciplines and research schools that are familiar with ICT and gender studies, women's studies or feminist studies.
The symposium will be held in Brussels on 20 January 2004.

:: Netwoman 11:24 AM [+] ::
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Information Technology, Transnational Democracy and Gender RELOADED


You are cordially invited to attend the conference on Information Technology, Transnational Democracy and Gender, which will take place in Luleå, Sweden, November 14-16 November, 2003. The conference is organized by the Nordic (including Estonia, Lithuania and Northwest Russia) Network for Research 1999-2003 ´Information Technology, Transnational Democracy and Gender’, supported by the Nordic Academy for Advanced Study (Norfa).

The overall theme for the conference is Information Technology, Transnational Democracy and Gender. The ITDG, Information Technology, Transnational Democracy and Gender, is a multidisciplinary network of researchers, which during its existence has focused on various topics within the areas of information technology, democracy and gender. The previous workshops and conferences organized in the network show that there are various approaches to feminism. The agenda of the closing symposium will be to explore and understand some of the different feminist projects, and re (present) various strategies towards the different projects.

Some major issues, which the conference aims to address, are:

1. Feminist Policy Issues in a Technological Order
In a changing society understandings of technology and politics become crucial. The aim of this workshop is to cast light on feminist issues, and to focus on what and how feminists want to change, and to what? Is mainstreaming a strategy for integration of feminist issues in science and technology? What does mainstreaming imply? Do we have experiences with mainstreaming from other areas of our society?

2. Information technology in everyday life: ethnographic approach
Information and communication technology intertwines with people's everyday practices, forms of thinking, identities and communities - while people work, seek information, participate in discourses and make cultural representations, consume, entertain themselves and spend leisure. The practices are daily and local, but they are also shaped by wider social, cultural and textual practices. The idea of the workshop is to examine information technology, gender and everyday life.

3. Women in and on the Net - visibility, work and community building
An underlying principle for the citizenship of the information society is equal access to e.g. information resources and political participation both in the society at large and in the decisions of the information society on a local level. It means also a social practice in a civil society. Some of the issues implied in this are: How can Internet and on-line communities be used to empower women with the freedom to choose their own future and combat exclusion? Is the use of techno-biography a tool for understanding more about the place of technology in everyday life and to deconstruct gender-technology relationships?

4. Enhance understandings of (techno)politics.
One way to achieve changes concerning issues of gender, technology and politics is by enhancing the understanding of (techno) politics. In order to enhance this it is important to explore questions such as: How do feminist researchers make a difference? How can things be different? What are the feminist contributions towards critique of society for creating a responsible and sustainable technology? What makes such critique feminist instead of merely critical?

The conference welcomes participants to present papers, provocations, dialogues, posters, etc and to provide a forum for Nordic and international collaborations.

Participants that wish to present are advised to submit an abstract (200 words) together with the notion of the conference topics by September 15, 2003 to christina.mortberg@arb.luth.se or rebecka.naslund@arb.luth.se.

Any inquiries can be directed to the organizing committee, contact persons: Christina Mörtberg, Luleå University of Technology, phone +46 (0)920 49 21 17, fax +46 (0)920 49 18 66, e-mail christina.mortberg@arb.luth.se or Rebecka Näslund, Luleå University of Technology, phone +46 (0)920 49 30 24, e-mail rebecka.naslund@arb.luth.se.


We look forward to seeing you!
On behalf of the organizing committee
Yours sincerely

Christina Mörtberg & Rebecka Näslund
Luleå University of Technology

:: Netwoman 6:07 PM [+] ::
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So here is an interesting story.

I checked my tracker to see who has been visiting my site - and how they are getting here (ok I'm curious). No problem - until i see this google search. I click on it - and the search words that the person used to access my were "naked moms". I come up as number two on google because of comments I made such as - ".. I have learned that moms have little time for other things like blogging... and you get comments such as: "I'd like to see Helen naked or just ... "

EEK!! Careful what you Google for!

Even better - other key words people have used and mistakenly found my site: "sexiest girls alive" comes up number 13 on MSN search engine because I posted on Ellen Spertus - Sexist Geek Alive award.

I have never thought about it from this angle really. Often I have plugged words into google (women, girls etc) and come up with tons of porn sites. But here is the flip side - someone looking for porn and getting an academic site.
Sigh , the wonders of technology.

:: Netwoman 5:41 PM [+] ::
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FYI: Looks like Culture Cat is back online.

:: Netwoman 9:24 AM [+] ::
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Weekly INCITE has introduced a new member - Jenny Sunden. Her project is called: "Reproduction/Remediation: Cyberfeminist Interventions in Reproductive- and Information Technologies". 'The aim of the project is to investigate the links between information technologies and reproductive technologies in terms of body politics.' Looks fascinating, looking forward to hearing more about it.

:: Netwoman 10:55 PM [+] ::
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FYI: Culture Cat is having some technical difficulties with her Blog, and hopes to have it fixed ASAP.

Tidbits:

Found a Blog called Assbegone - a weight loss journal of two sisters who post their weightloss progress to the Blog. Not only a neat way to keep in touch with your social networks, but also therapeutic and helpful to others who may be on the same path. Yeah Blogs! (Though I wonder if they realize that other people are reading about their progress?). One sister found My Virtual Model where you can plug in your weight, looks and body type to create a 3D virtual image of yourself. Interesting, though not totally accurate (not enough lumps and cellulite to be realistic). But it does give avatars a run for their money.

The September 2003 issue of First Monday (volume 8, number 9) is now available.

Article of note: An exploration of predatory behaviour in cyberspace: Towards a typology of cyberstalkers by Leroy McFarlane and Paul Bocij. Abstract -
"Over the last few years governments, law enforcement agencies, and the media have noted increases of online harassment. Although there has been a great deal of research into 'offline stalking', at this moment in time there has been no formal research that attempts to classify cyberstalkers. This study aimed to identify a classification of cyberstalkers by interviewing victims. Twenty-four participants were interviewed and their responses logged on a 76-item Cyberstalking Incident Checklist. A typology of cyberstalkers was developed."

Not surprisingly, there is little feminist (or gender) analysis here. With a small number or respondents (n=24 and all white), 91% of the victims are female. The authors stick to presenting the data, and do little to theorize the occurences of cyberstalking, and rather offer typologies of the offender ("They were the 'vindictive', 'composed', 'collective', and 'intimate' cyberstalkers"). This is clearly a psychological approach to cyberstalking, which focuses on the individual offender rather than a societal (or theoretical) understanding of cyberstalking. What do we do with these typologies now? Where do the authors want to go from here?

There is no discussion about relations of power between victim and offender (or the gender relations), and what the significance or socio-implications of cyberstalking are. The authors insert this small note in the discussion: "Although many people were informed about the study, only a minority took part. It should not be overlooked that this could be due to the feelings of fear, shame, embarrassment or anger that the victims may still feel during or even after the event. One victim (who later pulled out of the study) revealed at the end of her account the intense feelings that she felt, she was angry and yet extremely embarrassed about her own cyberstalking experience". Much more could have been discussed in relation to this comment.

:: Netwoman 2:11 PM [+] ::
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From the Gender & ICT list.

I would also like to invite you to the 17th National WomenTech Educators Workshop: Strategies that work! Learn "How To" Recruit & Retain Women and Girls in the Technology Classroom. It will be held on September 29 & 30 in Minneapolis and is a fast-paced interactive workshop for technology instructors, school-to-career coordinators, counselors, school administrators and equity coordinators. Avoid late registration, register by September 8.

"This workshop really answered my questions on how to interest women in IT careers, and also how to retain them. I feel I have a bag of tricks to take back home." -Toni Black, Asst. Professor, University of New Mexico

"The best part of this WomenTech training was the abundance of solutions and recommendations to address the problems we face in the classroom and the workplace." - Charnell B. Slaughter, Outreach Coordinator, Puget Sound Center for Teaching and Learning Technology, Bothell, Washington

"This workshop provides participants with a plethora of useful strategies for recruiting and retaining girls and women in technical programs. An exceptional education experience. " -Shirley Chenault, Ed.D. Dean of Resource Development, Weatherford College, Texas

Minneapolis Training Information

:: Netwoman 3:18 PM [+] ::
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Having trouble balancing your double day? The division of labour getting you down? Make it easier for yourself and order your groceries online. Forget sharing the domestic load, take the initiative and order online (grr argh!). "They're busy families with kids [and] they're busy professional families with two incomes."
The New York times today: Whipping Up Supper, Mouse in Hand By MICHELLE SLATALLA talks about the growth of online grocery sites - and not just any sites. Forget meat and potatoes, many grocery sites cater (ha!) to folks with a gourmet taste.

:: Netwoman 12:06 PM [+] ::
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Hilde points to Bringing Gender Issues to Technology Design by Tone Bratteteig.
This is good overview of some of the issues within gender and technology. While Bratteteig acknowledges "heterogeneous ways of knowing", Bratteteig needs to be careful that gender (and women) is not lumped into a homogeneous group. It is not simply about women and men. Important are racial and ethnic diversities, along with class, sexuality, ableism and age. Each of these social factors will influence how women (and men) experience technology, and how they might design technology (if they are indeed given the opportunity). Intersectionality is key, and I am not sure I get that from this article, but it was a good read.

:: Netwoman 11:56 AM [+] ::
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Siyanda September Update: Gender and ICTs and the WSIS Process
Issue No. 14, September 2003
Past issues of the update

Overcoming the Gender Digital Divide: Understanding ICTs and their Potential for the Empowerment of Women, Huyer, S. and Sikoska, T., 2003
A report synthesizing the major research findings contained in five background papers commissioned by INSTRAW.

Putting Gender on the Agenda of the World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS), Walker, A., 2003
A Power Point presentation providing an overview of the WSIS and how gender issues will be integrated into the Summit process.

Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) and their Impact on and use as an Instrument for the Advancement and Empowerment of Women, Marcelle, G., 2002. This report highlights successful case studies from many countries on the use of ICTs as a tool for women's empowerment.

Gender, ICTs and Agriculture: A Situation Analysis for the 5th Consultative Expert Meeting of CTA's ICT Observatory meeting on Gender and Agriculture in the Information Society, Hafkin, N. and Odame, H., 2002
This paper analyses the situation of gender, ICTs and agriculture in Africa, the Caribbean and the Pacific nations.

The Use of Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) as a Tool to Bridge the Gender Digital Gap: A Case on the Use of a Locally-Developed CD-ROM by Rural Women in Uganda
The report assesses an innovative project that involved developing a CD-ROM for rural women by the International Women's Tribune Centre (IWTC).

Gender Issues in ICT Policy in Developing Countries: An Overview, Hafkin, N., 2002
This paper provides a comprehensive table of specific measures that can be incorporated into ICT policy in developing countries to facilitate gender equality.

Gender Evaluation Methodology (GEM ), The Association for Progressive Communications Women's Networking Support Programme (APC WNSP), 2002
GEM is a toolkit for incorporating a gender analysis into evaluations of ICT projects.

I on the Mouse, ICTs for Women's Advocacies and Networking in Asia and the Pacific, Scott, T., Singh, D. and Wanasundera, L., 2001
This study assesses how and for what purpose ICTs are used by women's groups in the region.

Gender Perspectives on Telecenters, Jorge, S., 2000
Paper suggesting strategies to facilitate use of community Telecenters by women and girls.

:: Netwoman 11:22 AM [+] ::
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Faculty Position - a bit too early for me I'm afraid :(

The Department of Women's Studies announces a faculty position in Gender, Science, and Technology, with appointment at the Assistant Professor level beginning July 1, 2004. This position is 100% in Women's Studies. We would appreciate it if you would bring the following position description to the attention of interested persons in your department and related programs.

GENDER, SCIENCE, AND TECHNOLOGY
The Department of Women's Studies at the University of California, Riverside invites applications at the assistant professor level for a full-time, tenure-track position beginning July 1, 2004. We seek a scholar engaged in critical studies of gender in the production and practice of scientific knowledge and technological innovation. Comparative and interdisciplinary approaches encouraged. Preference for international research. The successful candidate will teach core and elective courses in the department. Ph.D. must be in hand at time of appointment. Salary commensurate with education and experience. Please send Curriculum vitae, three letters of recommendation, written samples of scholarship, evidence of teaching ability, and other supporting materials to: C. W. Gailey, Chair, Search Committee, Department of Women's Studies, University of California, Riverside, Riverside, CA 92521. Review of completed applications will begin on November 15, 2003, and will continue until the position is filled. The University of California is an EEO/AA employer.

Departmental Sketch
The Department of Women's Studies at UCR has a focus on international feminisms in theory and practice, gender in relation to other dimensions of social stratification, and post-, neocolonial, and transnational practices of gender and sexuality. Currently the department has five dedicated as well as two shared lines. In addition there are over 30 affiliated faculty across campus, particularly in the humanities. The department offers B.A. and minor programs in Women's Studies. While the department does not yet have a graduate program, our faculty engage in graduate teaching and work with graduate students in other departments. UCR benefits from the racial and ethnic diversity of our students, many of whom are the first members of their families to pursue higher education. The Department's research arm, Women in Coalition, currently involves social activists and women’s studies scholars in the U.S., Mexico, the Spanish-speaking Caribbean, and India. UC Riverside is slated for substantial growth over the next decade; other lines are planned for the Department. You can review our website. Thank you for your help in this search process.

:: Netwoman 9:44 PM [+] ::
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Stumbled upon Halley's Comment and an entry called Read Me. A fantastic piece about Women, Blogging and Life:

"They are using weblogs to tell their truth. Much of their truth has been silenced and not allowed to appear in main stream press which is dominated by men. I honestly don’t believe this is any conspiracy by men, but rather a shocking disconnect from the reality men live in and the reality women live in. Weblogs are not controlled or controllable by any one group. Weblogs are a no-barriers-to-entry publishing phenomenon. Weblogs are giving women a publishing platform unparalleled in history. Women are not self-editing their voices out of existence. With weblogs, women are telling their truth without even noticing. Weblogs are creating a level-playing field for women."

Excellent post - thanks Halley!

:: Netwoman 11:13 AM [+] ::
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I start teaching Theories of Mass Culture again next week at Brock U. I am not teaching my Cyberculture course this year. Too bad. Regardless, I decided that this is going to be a paper free term. All assignments will be submitted electronically to WebCT (ugh!) or Turnitin.com. In the past courses that I have either taught myself, or worked as a teaching assistant, there have always been problems with plagiarism. New York Times has a timely article today: "A Campus Fad That's Being Copied: Internet Plagiarism" By SARA RIMER. It seems that Internet plagiarism is increasing, and students who copy and paste info from the web do not feel that they are doing anything wrong.

I have had more than a handful of students do this every year. It puzzles me really. It is hard enough being a female instructor teaching technological material and gaining respect from students and faculty, but I think that students think I won't find it on the Internet! Generally I go on my 'gut' feelings and am right. But now Turnitin makes it much easier for me - and utilizing technology in the classroom makes me happy. Students sometimes are not thrilled - generally the females in the classes have the most trouble; less experience and less familiarity. Often I must take the time and show the ropes. I don't mind - really - but it still surprises me when I see the gender differences first hand.

As an aside, I have dedicated a week to Blogs, mass culture and mass consumption. I am looking at Habermas and the Public Sphere. Do blogs produce or promote mass culture? I would like your feedback on this please.
MASS CULTURE
"A set of cultural values and ideas that arise from common exposure of a population to the same cultural activities, communications media, music and art, etc. Mass culture becomes possible only with modern communications and electronic media. A mass culture is transmitted to individuals, rather than arising from people's daily interactions, and therefore lacks the distinctive content of cultures rooted in community and region. Mass culture tends to reproduce the liberal value of individualism and to foster a view of the citizen as consumer."

:: Netwoman 10:34 AM [+] ::
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I was having Blog-withdrawal last night. My server was down and I couldn't Blog. It was quite unnerving to say the least. As visions of Blog entries danced in my head while I was trying to fall asleep, I fought the urge to go back to the computer and check the server.

:: Netwoman 9:57 AM [+] ::
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Labour Day (or Labor day for most of you)

Jeremy posted some Labour Day information today. I really didn't know what labour day was truly all about, so it's a good thing he did. THE ORIGINS OF LABOR DAY notes that Labour day is:

"the day for which the toilers in past centuries looked forward, when their rights and their wrongs would be discussed...that the workers of our day may not only lay down their tools of labor for a holiday, but upon which they may touch shoulders in marching phalanx and feel the stronger for it." Labour day is about paid work. What about unpaid work? Will women 'lay down their tools" of domesticity on Labour day? Probably not. However, women played a significant role in the emergence of unions, and in numerous strikes to fight for better pay and better working conditions.

Women's relationship with technology has traditionally been a troubling one because of essentialist notions of technological skill and aptitude. Men are understood as the techies - women are not (unless it is a sewing machine, or working the washing machine). Yet, women were considered adequate labourers to fill in for men when they went off to war - images of Rosie the Riveter are still pervasive today. This is a tidbit from a song recorded in 1942:

"Joe had gone to the fighting front
And he left his job behind
Now I must step into his place
On the long assembly line.
I said I'll learn to build a ship
I'll learn to build a plane
For the faster we speed this belt line, girls,
The quicker our boys return."

Clearly women's relationship to technology was (is) shaped by social and cultural expectations of the times. When men returned from the War, women went back to the home, and back to domestic technology.

Jeremy also posted a site about Women's Labor History. This is a good American resource about women's role in paid work. The Teamster's offers an overview of women's labour history:

"To make matters worse for female laborers, workingmen often saw them as threats to their status, especially as new machines permitted less skilled operativ