horsethoughts

[horsethoughts]

Blog Post #2! Due 2/06/25

What issues could the concept of “identity tourism” and online anonymity bring to feminist efforts online? (Question based off “Rethinking Cyberfeminism”- J.Daniels)

The lack of “visibility” of one’s identity online can be seen as positive or negative. When thinking of issues, the first thing that comes to mind is the potential of someone using their anonymity to pretend to be someone they are not. While this is not always done for malicious purposes, in the case of feminist movements, this can be done to much detriment. There’s a potential risk of someone posing as leadership and spreading misinformation or acting in a way that puts a negative view on the organization/individual being targeted by this behavior. Additionally, online anonymity makes it incredibly easy for investigation to be done. I would worry about this happening, for example, if a feminist organization was using the internet as a pathway to work around legal/social limitations in real life. Anonymity could provide yet another outlet for bad players to exploit feminist movements.

Why do we continue to rely on automated technology/algorithms in important areas such as law or healthcare despite its continued penchant for error? (Question based off “Automating Inequality” – Eubanks & "Race and Technology" - Nicole Brown)

As Eubanks (2018) went over in her piece, this automated technology is efficient despite its many issues. To the broader public, it seems to be both efficient and effective. I believe that people don’t often question these automated systems, believing them to be sophisticated without a penchant for error. In the context of the broader public, they may not question them because they are used by “official” means. When they do show errors that are biased against POC, I think those errors oftentimes (sadly) fall in line with those same prejudices and thought processes. It reinforces the narratives deeply ingrained in these countries’ thought processes around POC and those who need social services. This only takes people further away from the possibility of questioning algorithms.

Additionally, why hasn’t much effort been made to create better alternatives for these systems or replace them? (Question based off “Automating Inequality” – Eubanks & Nicole Brown)

On top of falling in line with prejudices, another thing that keeps these types of algorithms and systems around is the financial aspects. For example, Nicole Brown mentions the hiring apps that use facial recognition to determine the best candidates. According to Brown (2020), these hiring apps are trained on data sets that are made up mainly of photos of white and male people. A solution to this would be to make a more diverse data set or code a new algorithm that isn’t purely based on photos, right? The problem with these solutions is that they would cost more money—if the system in place already “works” for those it benefits, why would they want to waste money trying to fix it? These algorithms streamline the processes for large businesses and save them money and time at the cost of inaccurate profiling and unbiased opportunities.

How do online spaces reproduce the social structures and biases of the real world? (Question based off Daniels)

In online spaces, the predominance and highlighting of white voices is reflected on different platforms. According to Daniels, online spaces function on the expectation of whiteness. Much like in real life, an overwhelming majority of whiteness in online spaces makes it difficult for others outside of the “dominant” culture being represented to feel comfortable in breaking the mold (Daniels 2009).

Works Cited:

Daniels, J. (2009). Rethinking cyberfeminism(s): Race, gender, and embodiment. Women’s Studies Quarterly.

Brown, N. (2020). Race and technology [Video]. YouTube.

Eubanks, V. (2018). Automating inequality: how high-tech tools profile, police, and punish the poor. St. Martin's Press.

[horsethoughts]

Blog Post #1

My story begins a few weeks before finals week of last semester, Fall 2024. For Christmas, I had gotten myself a brand new Playstation 5 after wanting a new console for years. My previous console, a PS3, had quite literally burned itself out from being left on for too long in my childhood. I loved that console, and many cherished memories were made with it before it decided it was done working. I think it’s safe to say that I already had some previous problems with PlayStation consoles, and I would have reason to be wary about getting another. Despite this, I was ready to give the PlayStation another chance to prove itself to me. I got my brand new, shiny PS5 early in the month. There was a problem, though; when it finally arrived at my house, the box was open! I had the perfectly reasonable reaction of freaking out and being worried about the console being tampered with or having something missing. Everything turned out alright, but this was only the first stress this console would give me. I had been waiting until I was finally done with my final papers to unbox and set up the console; It was like a reward. After a long few weeks of suffering through writing and revisions, I took the time to set up my console in my room. I was so excited to try it out and finally play all the games I had dreamed about in my downtime! But then, the issues started. For whatever reason, the audio would begin to cut out randomly for no apparent reason. The way the PS5 audio works is that you need to plug your headphones into the controller, so both the controller and your audio rely on a Bluetooth connection. This, however, causes me much anguish. The solution to the audio cutting out is to simply reset the controller using the tiny button on the back of it. However, sometimes, that method causes the controller to stop working entirely, and then I have to reset the whole console. It’s incredibly annoying! You’d think after spending so much money on something, it would work correctly without being a pain in the neck. I still love my console, and I do not regret getting it, even if that audio issue gets to me.