This document summarizes a lecture on issues related to gender and identity online. It discusses how women were underrepresented in computer science and online in 1997, and faces harassment. It then examines current statistics showing most influential online figures and Wikipedia editors are still predominantly men. The document also explores the hashtag #mencallmethings, debates around regulating misogyny online, and the role of feminist blogs in online discussions.

1. BCM112 Week 10
Tanja Dreher
tanjad@uow.edu.au
#MENCALLMETHINGS:
IDENTITY AND DIFFERENCE
ONLINE

2. Women online 1997 (Spender 1997)
‘GIRLS
NEED
MODEMS’ ‘A virtual reality, in which
communication,
relationships, community
and cooperation are
fostered, has to be seen to
provide opportunities for
women’s talents’

3. Women online 1997 (Spender 1997)
‘GIRLS
NEED  Women under-represented
MODEMS’ in computer science training
 Lack of women in decision-
making capacities
 Harassment and abuse,
flaming
 Risk assessment
 Macho culture

4. Women online 2012
 High School education in the 21st century
 BCM112 : blogging, tweeting, publishing and
interacting
 Social media
 Computer Science @ UOW?

5. Gender online
Gender gap?
Feminism online?
Misogyny?
Technological determinism?

6. Women are from Pinterest, Men are from Dartitup
http://thediagonal.com/2012/04/16/the-gender-gap-online/

7. Gender Gap: Wikipedia
http://news.discovery.com/tech/is-there-a-gender-gap-online.html

8. Who are the most influential
people online?

9. The 50 Most Important People on the Web
http://www.pcworld.com/article/129301/the_50_most_important_people_on_the_web.ht
ml

10. The 50 Most Important People on the Web
http://www.pcworld.com/article/129301/the_50_most_important_people_on_the_web.ht
ml
1 in 10 are women
First woman listed is
#9, Marissa Meyer

11. The Top 10 Most Influential
People Online
http://articles.businessi
nsider.com/2011-03-
04/tech/29996072_1_lar
ry-page-mark-
zuckerberg-apple-
products
Business Insider: 1
Woman in the Top Ten
(#5 Ariana Huffington
of HuffingtonPost.com)

13. Debating misogyny online

14. Misogyny:
‘the hatred of women’
‘a great dislike of women’

15. #mencallmethings
Twitter hashtag and
online conversation
beginning November 2011

16. #mencallmethings

17. #mencallmethings
 http://www.abc.net.au/unleashed/3659712
 htmlhttp://meanjin.com.au/blog/post/men-
call-me-things/
 http://www.theage.com.au/technology/techn
ology-news/trollattack-campaign-goes-viral-
20111108-1n4j4.html

18. Internet Misogyny, Trolls
and Gendered Comment Abuse
 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g8rr5Tq6
MBA
 By ThosePeskyDames
 http://www.youtube.com/user/ThosePeskyDames

19. ‘Poisoning the well of our
discourse?’
In the online edition of
Melbourne-based
publication King's
Tribune last month,
editors Jane and Justin
Shaw came to a radical
decision. They resolved -
after a few months of
earnest consideration
was capped by one post
of anonymous,
misogynist bilge too
many - to turn
http://www.smh.com.au/opinion/society-and-
culture/who-are-these-haters-that-poison-the-well-of- comments on their
our-discourse-20120411-1ws5c.html website ''off'’.

20. What Is 'Trolling'?
Answer: Internet 'trolling' is the anti-social act of
causing of interpersonal conflict and shock-value
controversy online.
Named for the wicked troll creatures of children's
tales, trolling is purposely sowing hatred, bigotry,
racism, misogyny, or just simple bickering between
others. Trolls themselves are emotionally-immature
users who thrive in any environment where they are
allowed to make public comments, like blog sites,
news sites, discussion forums, and game chat.
http://netforbeginners.about.com/od/netiquetteonlineculture/f/What-Is-Trolling.htm

21. Trolling
 Anonymity
 Open forums and comments
 Chilling effect?
 Polarising debates?
 Extremes rather than middle ground?

22. Poisoning our discourse?
(Stafford 2012)
 More and more bloggers disabling comments
 ‘a minority is having a disproportionate influence
on both the tone and direction of the print and
electronic media’
 ‘Mostly, [anonymity] just allows people to
indulge their worst tendencies, not only towards
individuals but entire social groups’

23. Sexual violence online
 Facebook bans pro-rape pages,
kicking and screaming
 http://gawker.com/5858000/face
book-removes-pro+rape-pages-  Compared to:
kicking-and-screaming  Attempts to ban
images of
breastfeeding on
 ‘It took Change.org two facebook
months, 186K signatures and a
furious Twitter campaign to get  Debate on banning
pro-rape pages removed from the cover of Nirvana’s
Facebook.’ ‘Nevermind’ on
facebook
 http://www.zdnet.com/blog/viol
etblue/facebook-finally-
removes-its-pro-rape-pages/788

24. Hate mail is not just for
women …
 ‘pro-feminist’ men
 Eg. Dr Michael Flood
 UOW Sociology
 Receives hate mail and threats of violence for his
criticism of some men’s groups

25. Gender and Media
 These issues are not only
online …
 Kyle Sandilands’ ‘fat slag’
remarks
 http://www.abc.net.au/news/2012
-03-27/sandilands-ruling-
released/3914886?section=enterta
inment
 2JJJ first ever ‘Hottest 100 of
all time’
 http://hoydenabouttown.com/200
90630.5557/alternative-youth-
music-station-thinks-theres-no-
alternative-to-being-a-bloke/

26. Community regulation / self-
regulation

27. Stafford (2012)
‘genuine transparency of identity, a much
tougher line on personal abuse and a greater
weighting towards comments that actually
expand discussion’

28. Community regulation / self-
regulation
 Balancing robust debate with respect and
responsibility
 Impasse on regulation and proactive
interventions
 What will you contribute?

29. RECAP: Women online 1997
(Spender 1997)
‘GIRLS  Women under-represented
NEED in computer science training
MODEMS’  Lack of women in decision-
making capacities
 Harassment and abuse,
flaming
 Risk assessment
 Macho culture

30. The feminist blogosphere
 Settle Petal
 http://settlepetal.org.au/
 Clementine Ford
 http://clementineford.tumblr.com/
 Nina Funnell
 http://www.mamamia.com.au/author/nina-funnell-2-
2-2-2/
 Those Pesky Dames
 http://www.youtube.com/user/ThosePeskyDames
 Shakesville
 http://www.shakesville.com/

31. Tanja Dreher
tanjad@uow.edu.au
THANKYOU!