Post by Matt Morley on Mar 20, 2016 22:34:02 GMT
Fotopoulou found that some exclusionary characteristics of offline activist groups transitioned into cyberspaces, such as certain feminist networks excluding transgender women or sex workers from their efforts. Even the simple act of imagining the group to be located in a central, physical space could act as a limitation and exclude a diverse range of activists from participating in feminist movements online. One other limitation of networked feminism that Fotopoulou found stemmed from some activists lack of computer literacy or resilience to adapt to new technology. In many cases older feminists found platforms such as Facebook to be a novelty or were simply uninterested in utilizing computers to communicate, organize and mobilize.
Researchers such as Fotopoulou believe that networked feminism is both empowering and exclusionary. While access to communication is more open than previous forms of media, those without the knowledge, technical skills or desire to access Web 2.0 communication platforms can often be left out of the dialog on social activism. Think critically about the community groups that you are a member of which have a strong Web 2.0 presence. Is there anything they do that might exclude certain demographics from participating? What could be done to make your group more inclusive and perhaps incorporate the voices of those without access to the internet?
Researchers such as Fotopoulou believe that networked feminism is both empowering and exclusionary. While access to communication is more open than previous forms of media, those without the knowledge, technical skills or desire to access Web 2.0 communication platforms can often be left out of the dialog on social activism. Think critically about the community groups that you are a member of which have a strong Web 2.0 presence. Is there anything they do that might exclude certain demographics from participating? What could be done to make your group more inclusive and perhaps incorporate the voices of those without access to the internet?
