Q1) Which categories are available for users to choose from when signing up for Hotmail, Yahoo! Mail or in order to use the Second Life gameworld? What presumptions do these categories make about the users, and what does the absence of certain categories say?
The categories that are the most commonly used when signing up for these websites are gender, age and country (living in or origin). Perhaps, these are seen to be the most important aspects of our identity. On the internet, we need to be identified in some way in order to connect with people. Although the Second Life gameworld differs in that you can make up a name and be identified by an animated character. But, I think the basic categories used to identify users (i.e. gender and age) are presumptious in the sense that these facts are the only information that is given about us to the website. So, gender and age define who we are even in cyberspace. The absence of categories like race, sexuality, marital status suggests that perhaps these are not as definitive aspects to our identies.
Q2) What sort of 'identities' are visible in the profiles on LavaLife? How are they displayed? What presumptions does this display make about both the people reading these profiles and those users who made them?
The identities on lavalife also include age, gender, country. They do include some extra details like religious views and whether or not they are smokers Obviously, the profiles are displayed in a positive light as they are wanting to attract someone. A presumption that the displays make about the people reading them and those who made them are that religion is of particular importance in a relationship. I found this aspect interesting because obviously, conflicts of religion are a big concern when forming a relationship. This is perhaps more important that things like political views.
Friday, September 5, 2008
Online Sexual Harassment: Does it even exist under WA law?
Alison Adam's chapter on Cyberstalking under this weeks readings raised an interesting point about how increased use of the internet has broadened the playing field where men can sexually harass women. There are many examples of women in the workforce who feel uncomfortable or upset about sexually harassing emails received by male collegues. I agree with Adam's assertion that the use of email within the workforce has provided men with yet another means of exploiting women in a suitably discreet manner so as not to attract litigation suits.
My question is why doesn't the West Australian Equal Oppotunity Act acknowledge the increasing presence of online sexual harassment? Under WA law, S 24 of the Equal Opportunity Act 1984 only provides avenues for sexual harassment claims within the context of employment, education or accommodation. There is no explicit mention of cyberspace or online harassment. This makes it extremely difficult for victims of online harassment to make any realistic legal claims. Further from this, in order to prove a case of sexual harassment, a victim must prove that they have suffered a 'reasonable disadvantage' as a result of the harassment. The law is extremely uncertain as to what constitutes a 'reasonable disadvantage'. Would shame, humiliation or simply feeling upset constitute disadvantage? By imposing a 'reasonableness based test' I feel the law is skimming over the clear gendered nature of online sexual harassment. The test should be whether the victim has suffered in the context of the victim most likely being a female.
Adam's states on p 215 '..the victims clearly felt unhappy about the level of protection that the law currently affords them...Only when we have a better understanding of why the behaviour occurs can we then begin to think about policy measures which may be effective'. My view is that the WA laws on sexual harassment will never be satisfactory unless there is explicit recognition of cyber online sexual harassment.
My question is why doesn't the West Australian Equal Oppotunity Act acknowledge the increasing presence of online sexual harassment? Under WA law, S 24 of the Equal Opportunity Act 1984 only provides avenues for sexual harassment claims within the context of employment, education or accommodation. There is no explicit mention of cyberspace or online harassment. This makes it extremely difficult for victims of online harassment to make any realistic legal claims. Further from this, in order to prove a case of sexual harassment, a victim must prove that they have suffered a 'reasonable disadvantage' as a result of the harassment. The law is extremely uncertain as to what constitutes a 'reasonable disadvantage'. Would shame, humiliation or simply feeling upset constitute disadvantage? By imposing a 'reasonableness based test' I feel the law is skimming over the clear gendered nature of online sexual harassment. The test should be whether the victim has suffered in the context of the victim most likely being a female.
Adam's states on p 215 '..the victims clearly felt unhappy about the level of protection that the law currently affords them...Only when we have a better understanding of why the behaviour occurs can we then begin to think about policy measures which may be effective'. My view is that the WA laws on sexual harassment will never be satisfactory unless there is explicit recognition of cyber online sexual harassment.
Thursday, September 4, 2008
Workshop 4: Menu Driven Identities
Question 2
What sort of 'identities' are visible in the profiles on Lavalife? How are they displayed? What presumptions does this display make about both the people reading these profiles and those users who made them?
The identities on Lavalife of course are very stereotypical - since they are only set up for one reason, namely meeting people (for whatever purpose), they try to attract attention. They display themselves as accessible and sympathetic as possible within the realms given by the design of the website. Since all of the info is rather short and superficial the users probably did not spend much time setting it up and the people who read it can just browse the website like a catalogue...IMO Dating sites like this are just as superficial and fast-moving as our society in general.
Question 3
How much of the "identity" that we can see online for the users on Lavalife is restricted by the overall design of the website? What changes would you suggest in order to "improve" the sorts of identity Lavalife users can construct?
To be honest, I think that Lavalife is not exceptional in the way it is set up and I cannot really see an inherent problem of internet dating sites here in the question of the restriction of information that is given on the profiles due to the set up of the websites. I mean, if you take a look at the newspapers in the "lonely hearts ads" section you pretty much see the same thing: very basic information on the people looking for contacts. Height, weight, age, looks, hobbies, smoker/drinker, etc. Here, it is not the set up that restricts the info given, but probably the price for the ads as well as common conventions how such a thing should look. At least on Lavalife people can add more information on their profiles than people in newspapers can. To me sites like Lavalife are again just proof of the fact that we seem to adapt structures from real life into cyberspace. This of course does not make the information given on- or offline any better, it just shows that we're not seem to be able to break with our habits.
I think the site could be improved by giving people the opportunity to write about them whatever they want - without having to answer preset questions. Maybe like that people could really get to know each other instead of choosing their potential partner by skin-color or religion.
What sort of 'identities' are visible in the profiles on Lavalife? How are they displayed? What presumptions does this display make about both the people reading these profiles and those users who made them?
The identities on Lavalife of course are very stereotypical - since they are only set up for one reason, namely meeting people (for whatever purpose), they try to attract attention. They display themselves as accessible and sympathetic as possible within the realms given by the design of the website. Since all of the info is rather short and superficial the users probably did not spend much time setting it up and the people who read it can just browse the website like a catalogue...IMO Dating sites like this are just as superficial and fast-moving as our society in general.
Question 3
How much of the "identity" that we can see online for the users on Lavalife is restricted by the overall design of the website? What changes would you suggest in order to "improve" the sorts of identity Lavalife users can construct?
To be honest, I think that Lavalife is not exceptional in the way it is set up and I cannot really see an inherent problem of internet dating sites here in the question of the restriction of information that is given on the profiles due to the set up of the websites. I mean, if you take a look at the newspapers in the "lonely hearts ads" section you pretty much see the same thing: very basic information on the people looking for contacts. Height, weight, age, looks, hobbies, smoker/drinker, etc. Here, it is not the set up that restricts the info given, but probably the price for the ads as well as common conventions how such a thing should look. At least on Lavalife people can add more information on their profiles than people in newspapers can. To me sites like Lavalife are again just proof of the fact that we seem to adapt structures from real life into cyberspace. This of course does not make the information given on- or offline any better, it just shows that we're not seem to be able to break with our habits.
I think the site could be improved by giving people the opportunity to write about them whatever they want - without having to answer preset questions. Maybe like that people could really get to know each other instead of choosing their potential partner by skin-color or religion.
Workshop Response to Menu-Driven Identities
3. How much of the “identity” that we can see online for the users on Lavalife is restricted by the overall design of the website? etc...
Rather than having a drop down menu, perhaps users should be able to type answers – it appears some categories are specific to the person and others just chosen from a dropdown menu. I my searches I didn’t see any profile that listed multiple ethnic backgrounds and wondered if multiple options could be chosen? I did notice that some hadn’t answered the question of ethnic background, and it said “prefer not to say.” There are other dating websites available that do give you the ability to type things yourself, rather than choose from prescribed answers, but perhaps people choose lavalife for the reason that it is quicker and easier to set up a profile if the answers are already there.
4. Are any of the websites inherently racist?
The email sites don't ask about race so I will just discuss Second Life and Lavalife. I don't know that I would say that either site is inherently racist, though obviously comments about race can be made from going to both. In lavalife the fact that race is one of the 11 or so things you see in an initial search result does show that the creators of lavalife presume race is an important aspect of identity [but then it also presumes star sign is...], and also that race matters to people when they choose a partner. Whether it is presumed that people have a racial preference, or that people need to know others ethnic backgrounds as immediately as gender or age, this means that the site highlights how important race is in society, and perhaps perpetuates this notion. In second life for an initial avatar I was given 12 to choose from, half were female and half were male, with one male and one female obviously black, quite a few obviously white with some appearing racially ambiguous to me. I would be interested to know how people on Second life choose the race of their avatar and how it affects interactions with other avatars. Would people choose an avatar that conforms to the standards of beauty where they live? Or choose an avatar like themselves?
Rather than having a drop down menu, perhaps users should be able to type answers – it appears some categories are specific to the person and others just chosen from a dropdown menu. I my searches I didn’t see any profile that listed multiple ethnic backgrounds and wondered if multiple options could be chosen? I did notice that some hadn’t answered the question of ethnic background, and it said “prefer not to say.” There are other dating websites available that do give you the ability to type things yourself, rather than choose from prescribed answers, but perhaps people choose lavalife for the reason that it is quicker and easier to set up a profile if the answers are already there.
4. Are any of the websites inherently racist?
The email sites don't ask about race so I will just discuss Second Life and Lavalife. I don't know that I would say that either site is inherently racist, though obviously comments about race can be made from going to both. In lavalife the fact that race is one of the 11 or so things you see in an initial search result does show that the creators of lavalife presume race is an important aspect of identity [but then it also presumes star sign is...], and also that race matters to people when they choose a partner. Whether it is presumed that people have a racial preference, or that people need to know others ethnic backgrounds as immediately as gender or age, this means that the site highlights how important race is in society, and perhaps perpetuates this notion. In second life for an initial avatar I was given 12 to choose from, half were female and half were male, with one male and one female obviously black, quite a few obviously white with some appearing racially ambiguous to me. I would be interested to know how people on Second life choose the race of their avatar and how it affects interactions with other avatars. Would people choose an avatar that conforms to the standards of beauty where they live? Or choose an avatar like themselves?
Charles' Webliography
What are some of the ethical and practical issues around citizen journalism and blogging?
Introduction
Over the past few years, the phenomenon of blogging or creating weblogs has effectively been woven into the social fabric of our modern day society. The exponential growth of blogs in the virtual world is testament to the fact that there is now a substantial and ever-growing number of people utilizing the Internet as a form of expression of self. However, this growth of blogging also comes attached with a myriad of questions about identity, authorship and also certain ethical issues. In order to offer a better context for looking at those issues, I have used the blog of a London call girl, Belle de Jour, as a point of reference. Not only does the blog highlight some distinctive ethical issues, it also provides an important insight into the practicalities of blogging from a female perspective. Subsequently, the task was to find the research articles that would help me understand her blog better.
Writing from Experience: Presentation of Gender Identity on Weblogs
By Niels van Doorn, Liesbet van Zoonen & Sally Wyatt
Primarily, the article critically examines the presentation of gender identities on weblogs by discussing the various methods through which gender is expressed online; keeping a focus on the expression of self through the blogging of activities in everyday life. However, it also touches on the differences between how women and men present themselves online in their weblogs.
For example, the authors cited Miller and Mather by stating that “men’s pages were shorter, that there was more variety in length and self-reference on women’s pages, and that women made more reference to the reader and seemed to be showing more awareness of those who could be viewing their pages then men did” . Interestingly, an examination of Belle de Jour’s blog would indeed illustrate the above-stated practical differences in blogging style.
By comparing a small sample of Dutch and Flemish weblogs, the authors of the article have demonstrated the clear existence of practical differences in blogging between women and men. As such, the article has most certainly provided me with a better understanding of the practical issues of blogging and also a greater insight into the issue of identity in cyberspace.
Confessing our Sims: The Construction of Gender and Sexuality Among Women Ages 18 – 22 on MySpace
By November R. Papaleo
The article cited is actually a research thesis for a postgraduate degree. However, it does not discount the fact that it is a thoroughly researched and highly informative article. The research is centred around the construction of gender and identity by women on the social network site, MySpace; specifically looking at women between the ages of 18 and 22.
At first glance, the article seemingly has no reference to blogging but on closer analysis, the similarities of blogging on a weblog and blogging on MySpace become irrefutable. What is most interesting, however, is that by the end of the article, the author has arrived at the conclusion that sites such as MySpace, and probably other blogging sites, do not function “as a forum for women to challenge conventional gender roles” but instead, “gives women an opportunity to perform femininity” .
This contrasting point of view argues that the act of blogging or managing social network sites such as MySpace or Facebook serves to reinforce traditional values of femininity and this contrasts distinctively with the notion that blogs serve to break down feminine norms by offering a greater degree of freedom of expression.
Why We Blog
By Bonnie A. Nardi, Diane J. Schiano, Michelle Gumbrecht & Luke Swartz
The article provides the necessary information pertaining to the fundamental reasons behind, as the title suggests, why we blog. In order to tackle the practical and ethical issues of citizen journalism and blogging, it is apparent that we must first gain a basic understanding of the reasons and motivations behind blogging.
Perhaps the most interesting point is the use of blogs as a form of catharsis. As stated, many “viewed blogging as an outlet for thoughts and feelings” . Arguably, this point provides us with the basic premise behind the expression of gender and identity in weblogs. If anything, the article certainly provides the general background information that would then allow us to focus on specific aspects of blogging.
Interactivity and Prioritizing the Human: A Code of Blogging Ethics
By Martin Kuhn
Evidently, the article provides a detailed analysis of the ethics behind blogging. It critically discusses the ethical issues brought about by blogging and subsequently offers an ethical guide for bloggers to follow.
Of particular interest is the proposed clause of “Be as Transparent as Possible” . Under this clause, it specifically states that he blogger should reveal his/her identity as much as possible. This should be done through the usage of names, photos, backgrounds and personal information. However, while this may sound ideal on paper, what exactly is the practicality of such a proposed practice? Issues of anonymity clearly conflict with any of such supposed ethical issues. More importantly, would such a practice help express gender and identity more easily or would it, in fact, hinder the freedom of expression?
The Identity of Bloggers: Openness and Gender in Personal Weblogs
By S.Nowson and J.Oberlander
The article functions primarily to provide a quantitative analysis of gender in blogging. It offers detailed samples of detecting gender in weblogs and also explains clearly the rationale behind their analysis.
After examining the article, it is striking to discover that it is not hard to distinguish between female and male bloggers based purely upon the use of language. While such a result is not unexpected, it is the ease of distinction that makes it rather amazing. Such an article definitely provides a better insight on identifying gender in weblogs.
Conclusion
Through the course of research and the usage of the references cited, one would be able to first understand the background of blogging and the reasons of partaking in the activity. Subsequently, one would then be able to deal with specific issues regarding gender, identity, ethics and practicality. For one thing, I have indeed gained a deeper and better understanding of the subject.
Undoubtedly, the blogging phenomenon would continue to persevere and thrive. What then becomes imperative is to better understand the intricacies involved and thus, ensure that this extension of our lifeworld is properly utilized and never abused.
Bibliography
Kuhn, Martin. “Interactivity and Prioritizing the Human: A Code of Blogging Ethics”, Journalism of Mass Media Ethics, Vol 22, Issue 01 (April 2007).
http://www.informaworld.com/smpp/content~content=a787960686~db=all (accessed 03/09/2008).
Nardi, Bonnie A, Schiano, Diane J, Gumbrecht, Michelle & Swartz, Luke. “Why We Blog”, Communications of the ACM, Vol 47, Issue 12 (December 2004).
http://portal.acm.org/citation.cfm?doid=1035134.1035163 (accessed 03/09/2008).
Nowson, S & Oberlander, J. “The Identity of Bloggers: Openness and Gender in Personal Weblogs”, University of Edinburgh (2006).
http://www.ics.mq.edu.au/~snowson/papers/SS0603NowsonS.pdf (accessed 03/09/2008).
Papaleo, November R. “Confessing our Sims: the Construction of Gender and Sexuality Among Women Ages 18-22 on MySpace”, Oregon State University Scholars Archive (2008).
https://ir.library.oregonstate.edu/dspace/handle/1957/9153 (accessed 03/09/2008).
van Doorn, Niels, van Zoonen, Liesbet & Wyatt, Sally. “Writing from Experience: Presentation of Gender Identity on Weblogs”, European Journal of Women’s Studies, Vol 14, Issue 143 (2007).
http://ejw.sagepub.com/cgi/content/abstract/14/2/143 (accessed 03/09/2008).
Introduction
Over the past few years, the phenomenon of blogging or creating weblogs has effectively been woven into the social fabric of our modern day society. The exponential growth of blogs in the virtual world is testament to the fact that there is now a substantial and ever-growing number of people utilizing the Internet as a form of expression of self. However, this growth of blogging also comes attached with a myriad of questions about identity, authorship and also certain ethical issues. In order to offer a better context for looking at those issues, I have used the blog of a London call girl, Belle de Jour, as a point of reference. Not only does the blog highlight some distinctive ethical issues, it also provides an important insight into the practicalities of blogging from a female perspective. Subsequently, the task was to find the research articles that would help me understand her blog better.
Writing from Experience: Presentation of Gender Identity on Weblogs
By Niels van Doorn, Liesbet van Zoonen & Sally Wyatt
Primarily, the article critically examines the presentation of gender identities on weblogs by discussing the various methods through which gender is expressed online; keeping a focus on the expression of self through the blogging of activities in everyday life. However, it also touches on the differences between how women and men present themselves online in their weblogs.
For example, the authors cited Miller and Mather by stating that “men’s pages were shorter, that there was more variety in length and self-reference on women’s pages, and that women made more reference to the reader and seemed to be showing more awareness of those who could be viewing their pages then men did” . Interestingly, an examination of Belle de Jour’s blog would indeed illustrate the above-stated practical differences in blogging style.
By comparing a small sample of Dutch and Flemish weblogs, the authors of the article have demonstrated the clear existence of practical differences in blogging between women and men. As such, the article has most certainly provided me with a better understanding of the practical issues of blogging and also a greater insight into the issue of identity in cyberspace.
Confessing our Sims: The Construction of Gender and Sexuality Among Women Ages 18 – 22 on MySpace
By November R. Papaleo
The article cited is actually a research thesis for a postgraduate degree. However, it does not discount the fact that it is a thoroughly researched and highly informative article. The research is centred around the construction of gender and identity by women on the social network site, MySpace; specifically looking at women between the ages of 18 and 22.
At first glance, the article seemingly has no reference to blogging but on closer analysis, the similarities of blogging on a weblog and blogging on MySpace become irrefutable. What is most interesting, however, is that by the end of the article, the author has arrived at the conclusion that sites such as MySpace, and probably other blogging sites, do not function “as a forum for women to challenge conventional gender roles” but instead, “gives women an opportunity to perform femininity” .
This contrasting point of view argues that the act of blogging or managing social network sites such as MySpace or Facebook serves to reinforce traditional values of femininity and this contrasts distinctively with the notion that blogs serve to break down feminine norms by offering a greater degree of freedom of expression.
Why We Blog
By Bonnie A. Nardi, Diane J. Schiano, Michelle Gumbrecht & Luke Swartz
The article provides the necessary information pertaining to the fundamental reasons behind, as the title suggests, why we blog. In order to tackle the practical and ethical issues of citizen journalism and blogging, it is apparent that we must first gain a basic understanding of the reasons and motivations behind blogging.
Perhaps the most interesting point is the use of blogs as a form of catharsis. As stated, many “viewed blogging as an outlet for thoughts and feelings” . Arguably, this point provides us with the basic premise behind the expression of gender and identity in weblogs. If anything, the article certainly provides the general background information that would then allow us to focus on specific aspects of blogging.
Interactivity and Prioritizing the Human: A Code of Blogging Ethics
By Martin Kuhn
Evidently, the article provides a detailed analysis of the ethics behind blogging. It critically discusses the ethical issues brought about by blogging and subsequently offers an ethical guide for bloggers to follow.
Of particular interest is the proposed clause of “Be as Transparent as Possible” . Under this clause, it specifically states that he blogger should reveal his/her identity as much as possible. This should be done through the usage of names, photos, backgrounds and personal information. However, while this may sound ideal on paper, what exactly is the practicality of such a proposed practice? Issues of anonymity clearly conflict with any of such supposed ethical issues. More importantly, would such a practice help express gender and identity more easily or would it, in fact, hinder the freedom of expression?
The Identity of Bloggers: Openness and Gender in Personal Weblogs
By S.Nowson and J.Oberlander
The article functions primarily to provide a quantitative analysis of gender in blogging. It offers detailed samples of detecting gender in weblogs and also explains clearly the rationale behind their analysis.
After examining the article, it is striking to discover that it is not hard to distinguish between female and male bloggers based purely upon the use of language. While such a result is not unexpected, it is the ease of distinction that makes it rather amazing. Such an article definitely provides a better insight on identifying gender in weblogs.
Conclusion
Through the course of research and the usage of the references cited, one would be able to first understand the background of blogging and the reasons of partaking in the activity. Subsequently, one would then be able to deal with specific issues regarding gender, identity, ethics and practicality. For one thing, I have indeed gained a deeper and better understanding of the subject.
Undoubtedly, the blogging phenomenon would continue to persevere and thrive. What then becomes imperative is to better understand the intricacies involved and thus, ensure that this extension of our lifeworld is properly utilized and never abused.
Bibliography
Kuhn, Martin. “Interactivity and Prioritizing the Human: A Code of Blogging Ethics”, Journalism of Mass Media Ethics, Vol 22, Issue 01 (April 2007).
http://www.informaworld.com/smpp/content~content=a787960686~db=all (accessed 03/09/2008).
Nardi, Bonnie A, Schiano, Diane J, Gumbrecht, Michelle & Swartz, Luke. “Why We Blog”, Communications of the ACM, Vol 47, Issue 12 (December 2004).
http://portal.acm.org/citation.cfm?doid=1035134.1035163 (accessed 03/09/2008).
Nowson, S & Oberlander, J. “The Identity of Bloggers: Openness and Gender in Personal Weblogs”, University of Edinburgh (2006).
http://www.ics.mq.edu.au/~snowson/papers/SS0603NowsonS.pdf (accessed 03/09/2008).
Papaleo, November R. “Confessing our Sims: the Construction of Gender and Sexuality Among Women Ages 18-22 on MySpace”, Oregon State University Scholars Archive (2008).
https://ir.library.oregonstate.edu/dspace/handle/1957/9153 (accessed 03/09/2008).
van Doorn, Niels, van Zoonen, Liesbet & Wyatt, Sally. “Writing from Experience: Presentation of Gender Identity on Weblogs”, European Journal of Women’s Studies, Vol 14, Issue 143 (2007).
http://ejw.sagepub.com/cgi/content/abstract/14/2/143 (accessed 03/09/2008).
this weeks readings
So.... Deborah Lupton' article 'The Embodied Computer/User' really encapsulates the relationship we tend to create with our PC's. I certainly agree with her that, while i don't really like to admit it, the PC is used by regular folk like you and me as a means to not only connect with Cyberworld but to escape the real body ('the meat') and enter the place where we're whoever we want to be, real or not. One thing she pointed out was that she can type much faster than she can write with a pen and in fact thereis 'almost a seamless transition of thought to word on the screen'. WOW. And its true, but what about our handwriting? It is just going to get worse and worse. We're going to rely too heavily on spell check, etc... Is it a worry to anyone else? Also, how about the anxiety that surrounds the thought of just losing it all to a blackout? ahhhhh, its terrifying!
Another question i wanted to raise about that article and other discourse on the issue of cyber criminals, or hackers etc, was can we really avoid it? There is plenty of fraud, crime, scams in the real world too.... is there a difference?
When considering Krissi M. Iimroglou's article 'A Camera With a View' in terms of the idea of the JenniCAM being a perfect heterosexual male fantasy - a voyeuristic window into a woman's bedroom' i question why the statement includes only the males? Could it not be perfect for women's fantasy's too? I think it is certainly an open window into the life of a regular person (why anyone would want that exposure is another question all together). Does it say more about the people who check this website for any action? Are these the same people who cannot help watching Big Brother every night?
I liken JenniCAM as CYBORG....as if unable to exist without the eye (or thousands of eyes) of the computer watching her.
that's all....
anyone wanna discuss?
Serena.
Another question i wanted to raise about that article and other discourse on the issue of cyber criminals, or hackers etc, was can we really avoid it? There is plenty of fraud, crime, scams in the real world too.... is there a difference?
When considering Krissi M. Iimroglou's article 'A Camera With a View' in terms of the idea of the JenniCAM being a perfect heterosexual male fantasy - a voyeuristic window into a woman's bedroom' i question why the statement includes only the males? Could it not be perfect for women's fantasy's too? I think it is certainly an open window into the life of a regular person (why anyone would want that exposure is another question all together). Does it say more about the people who check this website for any action? Are these the same people who cannot help watching Big Brother every night?
I liken JenniCAM as CYBORG....as if unable to exist without the eye (or thousands of eyes) of the computer watching her.
that's all....
anyone wanna discuss?
Serena.
Tuesday, September 2, 2008
Serena's Webliography
“From Frankenstein to the Visible Human Project, the body is continually reinterpreted as a limit to what it means to be human.” Discuss critically.
Critical Annotated Webliography
1 - Dr. Frankenstein and the Industrial Body: Reflections on ‘Spare Part’ Surgery. By Cecil Helman.
This article found in the ‘Anthropology Today’ journal was written in 1988 and addresses the culture of science and the developmental process of becoming the ‘modern industrial body’. Helman discusses the impact that Frankenstein has had on popular culture and science fiction as well as their influential ideas which impacted/directed medical science over the years, stating that the body has been reconceptualised as a ‘machine’. Helman believes that Spare Part Surgery is becoming an increasing trend and expresses concern that the body “is now a collection of parts or pieces, for which spares are readily available” and goes on to configure contemporary attitudes towards the body and the challenges they put up for the natural creation of human beings.
This article is relevant to the guiding essay question as it is directly concerned with the ‘body’ and its reinterpretation.
2 – Genetic Encores: The Ethics of Human Cloning. By Robert Wachbroit.
This report was written for the Institute for Philosophy and Public Policy and addresses some of the issues that arise when discussing human cloning. Wachbroit draws on several medicos and academics throughout his article in attempt to outline specific problems with the cloning process and argues that human cloning is less advanced than human genetic engineering. However, having considered medical needs Wachbroit is still concerned with the ethical issues that cloning encounters. Namely, the undermining of the family structure and unclear lineages but also the emotional difficulties a cloned child might grapple with on a daily basis for example: individuality, dignity, self-worth and so on.
Although this report/article is focussed on ethical, social and legal discussion it is certainly relevant to the guiding question as a descriptive example of the limit of what it means to be human.
3 – Culture Change. By Prof. Jane Goodall.
This transcript found on the ABC Radio National website is a lecture given by a fascinating crime novelist come, university lecturer come, philosopher who is grappling with the rapid change in culture in regards to technologies. Goodall has noticed a dominant focus on ‘imagined technologies’ in regards to science and science fiction and their relationship. When discussing who human beings are Goodall presents some important dualities: culture and technology, Homo Economicus and Bio-Humanity, and planet finance and planet earth. She states that although the rapid pace of technology thrusts us forward, there is almost certainly an element of holding back for many who find a residual affinity with nature.
This work is relevant to the guiding question as it supports the idea that while technology is seemingly continued advancement for the human race, some people prefer to slow the pace down and limit what it means to be human. Of course, this website is an endless resource that is updated daily with the latest ideas and theories. The site is well formatted and contains numerous links to other academic resources.
4 – Natural Born Cyborgs. By Andy Clark.
In his article titled ‘Natural Born Cyborgs’ Andy Clark uses colourful descriptive language to discuss his belief that we are all cyborgs. Clark writes about the brain, technology, and ‘smart worlds’. In a smart world he says, we are “human technology symbionts: thinking and reasoning systems whose minds and selves are spread across biological brain and non-biological circuitry”. He grapples with the idea that the brain is simply the mediator in a complex world of technology, yet we are creating those complexities by inventing and reinventing computer systems that are smarter than humans. Human progression is rapid.
This article is fascinating in that its dealing more with the internal body, how our minds work, and what creates a fast/clever brain. He desires understanding of reasoning yet accepts it will never eventuate.
5 – What does it mean to be human? By Teresa Iglesias.
In her article Teresa Iglesias questions just what it is to be human. Her argument maintains that to be a human being you must be a human person and vice versa. While Iglesias acknowledges other arguments that differ from her own as a result of philosophical science for example, a human may not be a human until it is born, she draws the readers attention to three fundamental aspects of what a human being is. Firstly: the human being is bodily, organic and physical, secondly: the human being is a living whole, an individual, and thirdly: the human being is has a temporal continuity and history.
This article is relevant to the guiding essay question as it deals with the notion of ‘what is human’? To use Iglesias’ argument in an essay that is focussed on unpacking the human body and the extent to which it is being reinterpreted, would be to bring the argument to a state of organic, simple, and untouched.
Webliography
Cecil Helman, ‘Dr. Frankenstein and the Industrial Body: Reflections on ‘Spare Part’ Surgery (June 1988), http://www.jstor.org/stable/3032641 (accessed 24/08/08).
Edge, The Third Culture, Andy Clark: “Natural Born Cyborgs?” (August 2008), http://www.edge.org/3rd_culture/clark/clark_index.html (accessed 27/08/08).
Institute for Philosophy and Public Policy, Robert Wachbroit: Genetic Encores: The Ethics of Human Cloning (2008), http://www.publicpolicy.umd.edu/IPPP/Fall97Report/cloning.htm
Radio National transcript, Prof. Jane Goodall, “Culture Change” (17th August 2008), http://www.abc.net.au/rn/ockhamsrazor/stories/2008/2335298.htm (accessed 27/08/08).
The Center for Bioethics and Human Dignity, Teresa Iglesias: “What Does it Mean to be Human?”(January 2004), http://www.cbhd.org/resources/bioethics/iglesias_2004-01-06.htm (accessed 27/08/08).
Critical Annotated Webliography
1 - Dr. Frankenstein and the Industrial Body: Reflections on ‘Spare Part’ Surgery. By Cecil Helman.
This article found in the ‘Anthropology Today’ journal was written in 1988 and addresses the culture of science and the developmental process of becoming the ‘modern industrial body’. Helman discusses the impact that Frankenstein has had on popular culture and science fiction as well as their influential ideas which impacted/directed medical science over the years, stating that the body has been reconceptualised as a ‘machine’. Helman believes that Spare Part Surgery is becoming an increasing trend and expresses concern that the body “is now a collection of parts or pieces, for which spares are readily available” and goes on to configure contemporary attitudes towards the body and the challenges they put up for the natural creation of human beings.
This article is relevant to the guiding essay question as it is directly concerned with the ‘body’ and its reinterpretation.
2 – Genetic Encores: The Ethics of Human Cloning. By Robert Wachbroit.
This report was written for the Institute for Philosophy and Public Policy and addresses some of the issues that arise when discussing human cloning. Wachbroit draws on several medicos and academics throughout his article in attempt to outline specific problems with the cloning process and argues that human cloning is less advanced than human genetic engineering. However, having considered medical needs Wachbroit is still concerned with the ethical issues that cloning encounters. Namely, the undermining of the family structure and unclear lineages but also the emotional difficulties a cloned child might grapple with on a daily basis for example: individuality, dignity, self-worth and so on.
Although this report/article is focussed on ethical, social and legal discussion it is certainly relevant to the guiding question as a descriptive example of the limit of what it means to be human.
3 – Culture Change. By Prof. Jane Goodall.
This transcript found on the ABC Radio National website is a lecture given by a fascinating crime novelist come, university lecturer come, philosopher who is grappling with the rapid change in culture in regards to technologies. Goodall has noticed a dominant focus on ‘imagined technologies’ in regards to science and science fiction and their relationship. When discussing who human beings are Goodall presents some important dualities: culture and technology, Homo Economicus and Bio-Humanity, and planet finance and planet earth. She states that although the rapid pace of technology thrusts us forward, there is almost certainly an element of holding back for many who find a residual affinity with nature.
This work is relevant to the guiding question as it supports the idea that while technology is seemingly continued advancement for the human race, some people prefer to slow the pace down and limit what it means to be human. Of course, this website is an endless resource that is updated daily with the latest ideas and theories. The site is well formatted and contains numerous links to other academic resources.
4 – Natural Born Cyborgs. By Andy Clark.
In his article titled ‘Natural Born Cyborgs’ Andy Clark uses colourful descriptive language to discuss his belief that we are all cyborgs. Clark writes about the brain, technology, and ‘smart worlds’. In a smart world he says, we are “human technology symbionts: thinking and reasoning systems whose minds and selves are spread across biological brain and non-biological circuitry”. He grapples with the idea that the brain is simply the mediator in a complex world of technology, yet we are creating those complexities by inventing and reinventing computer systems that are smarter than humans. Human progression is rapid.
This article is fascinating in that its dealing more with the internal body, how our minds work, and what creates a fast/clever brain. He desires understanding of reasoning yet accepts it will never eventuate.
5 – What does it mean to be human? By Teresa Iglesias.
In her article Teresa Iglesias questions just what it is to be human. Her argument maintains that to be a human being you must be a human person and vice versa. While Iglesias acknowledges other arguments that differ from her own as a result of philosophical science for example, a human may not be a human until it is born, she draws the readers attention to three fundamental aspects of what a human being is. Firstly: the human being is bodily, organic and physical, secondly: the human being is a living whole, an individual, and thirdly: the human being is has a temporal continuity and history.
This article is relevant to the guiding essay question as it deals with the notion of ‘what is human’? To use Iglesias’ argument in an essay that is focussed on unpacking the human body and the extent to which it is being reinterpreted, would be to bring the argument to a state of organic, simple, and untouched.
Webliography
Cecil Helman, ‘Dr. Frankenstein and the Industrial Body: Reflections on ‘Spare Part’ Surgery (June 1988), http://www.jstor.org/stable/3032641 (accessed 24/08/08).
Edge, The Third Culture, Andy Clark: “Natural Born Cyborgs?” (August 2008), http://www.edge.org/3rd_culture/clark/clark_index.html (accessed 27/08/08).
Institute for Philosophy and Public Policy, Robert Wachbroit: Genetic Encores: The Ethics of Human Cloning (2008), http://www.publicpolicy.umd.edu/IPPP/Fall97Report/cloning.htm
Radio National transcript, Prof. Jane Goodall, “Culture Change” (17th August 2008), http://www.abc.net.au/rn/ockhamsrazor/stories/2008/2335298.htm (accessed 27/08/08).
The Center for Bioethics and Human Dignity, Teresa Iglesias: “What Does it Mean to be Human?”(January 2004), http://www.cbhd.org/resources/bioethics/iglesias_2004-01-06.htm (accessed 27/08/08).
Introduction
Hi everyone,
Please excuse my late blogg introducing myself. My name is Rohini Thomas. I have been out of uni for the last 2 weeks but am slowly catching up and really enjoying this new innovative unit!
Rohini :)
Please excuse my late blogg introducing myself. My name is Rohini Thomas. I have been out of uni for the last 2 weeks but am slowly catching up and really enjoying this new innovative unit!
Rohini :)
WEBLIOGRAPHY
Q: Judy Waczman argues that Donna Haraway’s figure of the cyborg has taken on ‘a life of its own’ in popular culture, science fiction and academic writing. In what ways has it been taken up by feminists?
1. ‘Decoding Perversity: Queering Cyberspace’ Parallel Gallery and Journal, Steffensen.J [ONLINE] at http://www.va.com.au/parallel/x1/journal/jyanni_steffensen/robot.html
This resource considers how the female cyborg has been depicted in a range of recent pop culture. The article focuses on the question of what place the female body occupy in cyberspace? In answering this question, the article considers work by Zoe Sophia in Zoe Sophia, Virtual corporeality: a feminist view, Australian Feminist Studies, vol. 15, 1992, pp 11-23. In particular, Sophia states that in science fiction films and computer games, the female cyborg is always, if not often, created as an ideal specimen for a male audience. The female cyborg is represented as an object of sexual lust as opposed to subjects of intelligence or knowledge. It is in this sense that the article suggests that feminists would perceive cyborgs in pop culture to be asserting traditional gender roles as opposed to breaking free from them as Harraway suggests. The article considers how pop culture represents female cyborgs as emotionless. The female cyborg lacks the stereotypical emotions commonly linked with females. Instead, they are ruthless and senseless. By considering this representation of cyborgs, it is arguable that the female cyborg transcends the stereotypical gender view that women are overemotional and that their compassion impedes them from gaining power. This article is useful in considering feminist views in relation to the way the female cyborg has been portrayed in pop culture. It does not address how feminists would perceive Donna Harraway’s concept of the cyborg, a concept which is distinct from how cyborgs are represented in pop culture.
2. ‘ Somatechnics or Monstrosity Unbound’ SCAN Journal of media arts culture, Sullivan.N [ONLINE] at http://scan.net.au/scan/journal/display.php?journal_id=83
This resource specifically focuses on Harraway’s idea that technology ( cyborgs) allow humans to break out of the many dichotomies of difference that exist in society. The article starts by firstly considering the philosophical idea of the world existing in dualism. Sullivan considers the work of Simone De Beauvoir in Beauvoir, S. (1975) The Second Sex, Harmondsworth: Penguin. In particular , the article considers her assertion that the very biology of the female and the female role in reproduction is what is central to the subordinate status attained by women in society. Sullivan considers the view that in order to overcome inequality, there is a need to overcome the natural reproductive role that women hold. The article considers the use of Assisted Reproductive technology and questions whether the introduction of such technology has advanced women beyond their biological reproductive role. This resource is particularly good because it also considers the anti-technology feminist views of Gena Corea, Renae Klein, Maria Mies, Janice Raymond who are all associated with the Feminist International Network of Resistance to Reproductive and Genetic Engineering. The basic argument from the anti-technology feminists is that women who succumb to assisted reproductive technology are not challenging gender roles but instead are going to extremes to try to endorse the female role in reproduction.
3. ‘Futuristic Freak Show has lost its asexual appeal’ The Sydney Morning Herald, July 21, 2005, Hopkins.S, accessed [ONLINE] at http://www.smh.com.au/news/opinion/futuristic-freak-show-has-lost-its-asexual-appeal/2005/07/20/1121539032467.html
This article is particularly good as it considers Harraway’s concept of the cyborg and refers to it directly. Hopkins considers varying feminist views towards Harraway’s assertion that we are all cyborgs. She suggests that the major concerns feminists have with the increased use of technology is based on the questions of How technology is designed and how it is distributed, or who gets to use it. The answer to these questions reveals inequality between sexes as technology is predominantly controlled by men. In her article she states that the “culture of cyberspace is line the men’s change room at a football match- not the most female friendly environment”. Hopkins considers how this view sits with the increase in computer literate women and recent movements of cyberfeminism: A school of feminism which views technology as a liberating rather than oppressive thing.
4. Kirkup.G, Woodward.K, Janes.L ‘ The Gendered Cyborg’ Routledge 2000 accessed [ONLINE] at http://books.google.com.au/books?id=7FaUVl6H4SYC&pg=PA148&lpg=PA148&dq=Cyborgs+and+Feminism&source=web&ots=3Q3dUiNp6v&sig=ki-s_4wlPPKMhXNXG3aHIt_QEYs&hl=en&sa=X&oi=book_result&resnum=6&ct=result#PPR6,M1
This is an online reader which contains work from many different authors and is split into several different chapters. I focussed on Chapter 1, Representing Gender through technoscience. It contains a good summary of Donna Harraway’s work and her assertion that with the increase of machines/technology, humanness decreases allowing for the gap of human difference to be closed. This is the view that cyborgs disrupt notions of otherness. On pages 5- 8 of part one, Kirkup considers the characters of female cyborgs in recent pop culture, philosophy and games. In particular, the character of Rachel in the film Blade Runner is used as an example of a cyborg character who contradicts the myth of a natural female identity. Gonzalez J, on page 8 suggests that the way in which cyborgs are represented in pop culture is a re-enforcement of gender stereotypes. The article considers the 1990’s comic cyborg, “Kiddy” and includes pictures of this a character to illustrate how female cyborgs have a soft sexual female outer body with a contrasting powerful machine under it. Gonzalez suggests that the female cyborg is a sexual slave.
5. ‘Public Policies and Reproductive Technology: A Feminist Critique’ McCormack.M, University of Toronto Press, Canadian Public Policy , 1988 Vol 14 (4) accessed [ONLINE] at http://ideas.repec.org/a/cpp/issued/v14y1988i4p361-375.html
This article is a formal critique of the increased use of assisted reproductive technology. It considers the risks associated with ART and emphasises the idea that technology does not liberate women and instead encourages women to take risks. The article uses examples of many recent cases where assisted reproductive technology has had complications and resulted in severe health risks for women. The article suggests that women should not rely on technology because it has uncertain qualities and is essentially created and driven by human beings. While many argue that technology has liberated women in the domestic housework domain with the increase of dishwashers and washing machines, it is not necessarily the case that assisted reproductive technology will have the same effect. The article considers the view that the assisted reproductive technology distorts society’s view and values of family. It allows women to exploit their biological reproductive functions. An example of this is evidenced in the increasing rate of abortions. The article suggests that instead of liberating women, technology has created too much choice and as a result has distorted core social values.
Q: Judy Waczman argues that Donna Haraway’s figure of the cyborg has taken on ‘a life of its own’ in popular culture, science fiction and academic writing. In what ways has it been taken up by feminists?
1. ‘Decoding Perversity: Queering Cyberspace’ Parallel Gallery and Journal, Steffensen.J [ONLINE] at http://www.va.com.au/parallel/x1/journal/jyanni_steffensen/robot.html
This resource considers how the female cyborg has been depicted in a range of recent pop culture. The article focuses on the question of what place the female body occupy in cyberspace? In answering this question, the article considers work by Zoe Sophia in Zoe Sophia, Virtual corporeality: a feminist view, Australian Feminist Studies, vol. 15, 1992, pp 11-23. In particular, Sophia states that in science fiction films and computer games, the female cyborg is always, if not often, created as an ideal specimen for a male audience. The female cyborg is represented as an object of sexual lust as opposed to subjects of intelligence or knowledge. It is in this sense that the article suggests that feminists would perceive cyborgs in pop culture to be asserting traditional gender roles as opposed to breaking free from them as Harraway suggests. The article considers how pop culture represents female cyborgs as emotionless. The female cyborg lacks the stereotypical emotions commonly linked with females. Instead, they are ruthless and senseless. By considering this representation of cyborgs, it is arguable that the female cyborg transcends the stereotypical gender view that women are overemotional and that their compassion impedes them from gaining power. This article is useful in considering feminist views in relation to the way the female cyborg has been portrayed in pop culture. It does not address how feminists would perceive Donna Harraway’s concept of the cyborg, a concept which is distinct from how cyborgs are represented in pop culture.
2. ‘ Somatechnics or Monstrosity Unbound’ SCAN Journal of media arts culture, Sullivan.N [ONLINE] at http://scan.net.au/scan/journal/display.php?journal_id=83
This resource specifically focuses on Harraway’s idea that technology ( cyborgs) allow humans to break out of the many dichotomies of difference that exist in society. The article starts by firstly considering the philosophical idea of the world existing in dualism. Sullivan considers the work of Simone De Beauvoir in Beauvoir, S. (1975) The Second Sex, Harmondsworth: Penguin. In particular , the article considers her assertion that the very biology of the female and the female role in reproduction is what is central to the subordinate status attained by women in society. Sullivan considers the view that in order to overcome inequality, there is a need to overcome the natural reproductive role that women hold. The article considers the use of Assisted Reproductive technology and questions whether the introduction of such technology has advanced women beyond their biological reproductive role. This resource is particularly good because it also considers the anti-technology feminist views of Gena Corea, Renae Klein, Maria Mies, Janice Raymond who are all associated with the Feminist International Network of Resistance to Reproductive and Genetic Engineering. The basic argument from the anti-technology feminists is that women who succumb to assisted reproductive technology are not challenging gender roles but instead are going to extremes to try to endorse the female role in reproduction.
3. ‘Futuristic Freak Show has lost its asexual appeal’ The Sydney Morning Herald, July 21, 2005, Hopkins.S, accessed [ONLINE] at http://www.smh.com.au/news/opinion/futuristic-freak-show-has-lost-its-asexual-appeal/2005/07/20/1121539032467.html
This article is particularly good as it considers Harraway’s concept of the cyborg and refers to it directly. Hopkins considers varying feminist views towards Harraway’s assertion that we are all cyborgs. She suggests that the major concerns feminists have with the increased use of technology is based on the questions of How technology is designed and how it is distributed, or who gets to use it. The answer to these questions reveals inequality between sexes as technology is predominantly controlled by men. In her article she states that the “culture of cyberspace is line the men’s change room at a football match- not the most female friendly environment”. Hopkins considers how this view sits with the increase in computer literate women and recent movements of cyberfeminism: A school of feminism which views technology as a liberating rather than oppressive thing.
4. Kirkup.G, Woodward.K, Janes.L ‘ The Gendered Cyborg’ Routledge 2000 accessed [ONLINE] at http://books.google.com.au/books?id=7FaUVl6H4SYC&pg=PA148&lpg=PA148&dq=Cyborgs+and+Feminism&source=web&ots=3Q3dUiNp6v&sig=ki-s_4wlPPKMhXNXG3aHIt_QEYs&hl=en&sa=X&oi=book_result&resnum=6&ct=result#PPR6,M1
This is an online reader which contains work from many different authors and is split into several different chapters. I focussed on Chapter 1, Representing Gender through technoscience. It contains a good summary of Donna Harraway’s work and her assertion that with the increase of machines/technology, humanness decreases allowing for the gap of human difference to be closed. This is the view that cyborgs disrupt notions of otherness. On pages 5- 8 of part one, Kirkup considers the characters of female cyborgs in recent pop culture, philosophy and games. In particular, the character of Rachel in the film Blade Runner is used as an example of a cyborg character who contradicts the myth of a natural female identity. Gonzalez J, on page 8 suggests that the way in which cyborgs are represented in pop culture is a re-enforcement of gender stereotypes. The article considers the 1990’s comic cyborg, “Kiddy” and includes pictures of this a character to illustrate how female cyborgs have a soft sexual female outer body with a contrasting powerful machine under it. Gonzalez suggests that the female cyborg is a sexual slave.
5. ‘Public Policies and Reproductive Technology: A Feminist Critique’ McCormack.M, University of Toronto Press, Canadian Public Policy , 1988 Vol 14 (4) accessed [ONLINE] at http://ideas.repec.org/a/cpp/issued/v14y1988i4p361-375.html
This article is a formal critique of the increased use of assisted reproductive technology. It considers the risks associated with ART and emphasises the idea that technology does not liberate women and instead encourages women to take risks. The article uses examples of many recent cases where assisted reproductive technology has had complications and resulted in severe health risks for women. The article suggests that women should not rely on technology because it has uncertain qualities and is essentially created and driven by human beings. While many argue that technology has liberated women in the domestic housework domain with the increase of dishwashers and washing machines, it is not necessarily the case that assisted reproductive technology will have the same effect. The article considers the view that the assisted reproductive technology distorts society’s view and values of family. It allows women to exploit their biological reproductive functions. An example of this is evidenced in the increasing rate of abortions. The article suggests that instead of liberating women, technology has created too much choice and as a result has distorted core social values.
Monday, September 1, 2008
Presentation on “Cyberstalking: Gender and computer ethics” (by Alison Adam, in Virtual Gender, pp. 209-224)
I just thought I'd re-post this so that people will find it for this week's discussion. ;-) Hope, that's alright.
This text by Alison Adam introduces the newly-emerged phenomenon of online harassment and cyberstalking. Without wanting to give too much of a summary here I just want to point out the fact that, to me, the way the topic was addressed here was unique and very interesting – probably because I never saw it in connection to feminist ethics before. The whole idea of the fact that there are “major inequalities running throughout the whole of computing” really triggered some kind of re-thinking in my attitude towards the whole subject. Now, I should point out that I am a woman who is very much involved with computers and especially with what you would probably call cyberspace and the ‘online world’. So in that sense, to me the question of gender or a gendered surrounding never really came up since I never saw myself in an unequal position or found myself in a male-dominated community online (or at least I never noticed it in a negative way). I guess this is what made Alison’s text and insights so interesting to me.
Sexual harassment and stalking have always been gendered issues in the ‘real world’, with generally a lot more women being victimized and more men being the perpetrators. So it comes as no surprise that these phenomena, when taken to a ‘virtual’ basis (which in the end is really not so virtual anymore), show the same characteristics. I found it quite interesting that the presented case study about a man being a victim seemed to actually prove that to him it was more a question of winning a fight against the Internet Service Provider than anything else, whereas the stalked women had to fear about their (sexual) integrity and were very much put in an inferior position. While researching the topic online I came across a very interesting website[1], especially designed for helping victims of online harassment and cyberstalking. I especially want to point out the statistics about cases and victims, because they show and confirm very well that this phenomenon is clearly a gendered one.
I would now like to raise some central points of this text for discussion in the following, mainly ideas or concepts that I felt were worth thinking about more thoroughly. Firstly, there is the idea about liberal traditions as introduced by Adam: liberals usually vouch for a clear separation between the private and the public sphere and since the womens’ role has traditionally been more located in the private sphere, intervention or even simple recognition of a violation of the womens’ rights has naturally been a difficult matter. I would like to pose the question whether you think that this is the core of the matter? Since Adam claims that we need to know the reasons for women becoming victims and men perpetrators, could we maybe deduct that it is simply just too easy for men to violate womens’ rights without having to fear any consequences? Is this fact even made worse by the anonymity of cyberspace? Alison concludes that feminist ethics could be helpful to find a solution for that problem. Do you agree, and if yes in what way exactly?
[1] Htichcock, Jane (1996-2008). 'WHOA. Working to Halt Online Abuse'. http://www.haltabuse.org/resources/stats/index.shtml (accessed 25 August 2008)
This text by Alison Adam introduces the newly-emerged phenomenon of online harassment and cyberstalking. Without wanting to give too much of a summary here I just want to point out the fact that, to me, the way the topic was addressed here was unique and very interesting – probably because I never saw it in connection to feminist ethics before. The whole idea of the fact that there are “major inequalities running throughout the whole of computing” really triggered some kind of re-thinking in my attitude towards the whole subject. Now, I should point out that I am a woman who is very much involved with computers and especially with what you would probably call cyberspace and the ‘online world’. So in that sense, to me the question of gender or a gendered surrounding never really came up since I never saw myself in an unequal position or found myself in a male-dominated community online (or at least I never noticed it in a negative way). I guess this is what made Alison’s text and insights so interesting to me.
Sexual harassment and stalking have always been gendered issues in the ‘real world’, with generally a lot more women being victimized and more men being the perpetrators. So it comes as no surprise that these phenomena, when taken to a ‘virtual’ basis (which in the end is really not so virtual anymore), show the same characteristics. I found it quite interesting that the presented case study about a man being a victim seemed to actually prove that to him it was more a question of winning a fight against the Internet Service Provider than anything else, whereas the stalked women had to fear about their (sexual) integrity and were very much put in an inferior position. While researching the topic online I came across a very interesting website[1], especially designed for helping victims of online harassment and cyberstalking. I especially want to point out the statistics about cases and victims, because they show and confirm very well that this phenomenon is clearly a gendered one.
I would now like to raise some central points of this text for discussion in the following, mainly ideas or concepts that I felt were worth thinking about more thoroughly. Firstly, there is the idea about liberal traditions as introduced by Adam: liberals usually vouch for a clear separation between the private and the public sphere and since the womens’ role has traditionally been more located in the private sphere, intervention or even simple recognition of a violation of the womens’ rights has naturally been a difficult matter. I would like to pose the question whether you think that this is the core of the matter? Since Adam claims that we need to know the reasons for women becoming victims and men perpetrators, could we maybe deduct that it is simply just too easy for men to violate womens’ rights without having to fear any consequences? Is this fact even made worse by the anonymity of cyberspace? Alison concludes that feminist ethics could be helpful to find a solution for that problem. Do you agree, and if yes in what way exactly?
[1] Htichcock, Jane (1996-2008). 'WHOA. Working to Halt Online Abuse'. http://www.haltabuse.org/resources/stats/index.shtml (accessed 25 August 2008)
First (well now second) Post
Hi everyone,
My name is Nikki. I am new to all of this blogging, shown by the fact that i have somehow entered myself twice to this blog. Sorry!
Hopefully by the end i will be an expert at this!
Critical Annotated Webliography
“From Frankenstein to the Visible Human Project, the body is continually reinterpreted as a limit to what it means to be human.” Discuss critically.
Typing the line ‘What it means to be human’ into the Google search engine yields a plethora of results, as most Google searches do. On the top of the list however is a religious database whose entry on the topic of what it means to be human focuses on utilising those tools which the “creator” has bestowed upon us and vilifying any form of technology that may aid in altering the “natural” function of the human being[1]. The significance of this is apparent as it was originally through religious point of view that humankind had a mode through which to understand the human body and what it might mean to be human. Of course with the advent and acceptance of science came a change in humankind’s perspective of the body and the specifics of anatomy. With the emergence of technology as central to a vast majority of the human population, critical literature that seeks to understand and theorise its (technology’s) importance to our functioning has become abundant. Much of the literature included in this webliography concludes with the notion that technology has become central to who we are and what we are.
Sterlac (1994) Sterlac. http://www.stelarc.va.com.au/ (accessed 25/08/08)
The home page of Sterlac, a somewhat radical Australian artist, provides a space that serves to display his work and ideas that centre on the combination of the human body and such technologies as “medical instruments, prosthetics, robotics, Virtual Reality systems and the Internet”[2]. Although not maintained by the artist himself, the site is comprehensive and forward about how the artist envisages the current and future roles/functions of the human body. From the homepage of Sterlac’s site where the words ‘THE BODY IS OBSOLETE’ flash on screen, a user can navigate to various summaries of experiments and ideologies held by the artist. For example selecting the link ‘Obsolete Body’ a small paragraph articulates notions of the body as technophobic and ill-designed to cope with malfunctions and the “new extraterrestrial environment”[3]. Through Sterlac’s visions of radical post-humanism we are presented with a view that impresses upon us the weakness of the body and the need to embrace the possibility of immortality through technological modification.
Vita-More, Natasha (2005) “The New [human] Genre – Primo Posthuman”. http://www.natasha.cc/paper.htm (accessed 25/08/08)
Vita-More’s article situates the body or the human form as one of the principal subjects throughout art history and it is through this medium of art that she looks at prospects for the evolution of the human body. Vita-More suggests that so far there have been three dominant expressions of the human body in art; “the classical image, the cyborg, and the transcendental entity”, and with these comes a progression in the concept of the human body. The reader is then presented with the purpose of her article – “I suggest a fourth approach to the artistic search for a new image, founded on scientific probability and inspired by technological prowess.” Vita-More then uses a discourse of technological design to describe the “Primo-Posthuman” for her reader. The figure of the Primo-Posthuman relies on a change in human perspective or an embracing of a different human nature and suggests that through collaboration, an artistic approach to the seemingly inevitable Posthuman revolution can be achieved. A table included at the end of the article offers a contrast between the human body and the “21st Century Primo Prototype” revealing an undoubtedly optimistic look at the future of the human body.
Taylor, T.L (2002) “Living Digitally: Embodiment in Virtual Worlds”. http://www.itu.dk/~tltaylor/papers/Taylor-LivingDigitally.pdf (accessed 23/08/08)
Taylor’s article makes a case for the avatar – a digital body that inhabits online, virtual worlds. Through interviews with online participants Taylor has been able to gauge some understanding of what ‘living digitally’ entails and the potentials it offers a user. Those functions that are largely considered traits of the physical world such as presence, social life, communication, socialisation and sexuality are all examined. Of particular interest (to myself) was the idea of the hybrid avatar. Here the human head can be supplemented with that of an animal’s if a user so desires and for some this has the effect of making them feel far more comfortable in engaging socially than if they were to have a “normal” human head. Limitations of the avatar body are also explored and can manifest in the form of inadequate software design which prevent a full range of functions. Taylor also points out that virtual worlds will often “reflect deep links with particular worldviews and value systems”[4] and therefore they are not suited to all persons.
Thomas, Angela (2004) “Digital Literacies of the Cybergirl”. http://www.wwwords.co.uk/pdf/viewpdf.asp?j=elea&vol=1&issue=3&year=2004&article=3_Thomas_ELEA_1_3_web&id=203.24.97.5 (accessed 25/08/08)
The initial part of Angela Thomas’ article uses the theories of Lacan, Foucault and Freud to situate the body as a product of linguistic discourse and ideas about the way the self can be viewed as the “other” in a mythical and fantastical sense. Such contextualising of the body then proceeds to correspond with her findings of interviews with teenagers (mostly girls) in an online chat forum and the association of online identity and self. What she suggests is that through the careful selection of language use, specific personas can be generated purely through words, as she says, “To not speak is to not have a visible presence in this context.”[5] Thomas also considers the use of avatars by the teenagers. Of most interest is the way that the girl’s (and again she refers back to those ideas she initiated in the beginning of her paper) self identify with the digital bodies they have created. The avatars appeared to allow a safe and private tool with which they could perform fantasies of the sort they cannot or do not want to perform ‘in the real world’.
Fausto-Sterling, Anne (1999) “Sexing the Body: How Biologists Construct Human Sexuality” http://www.symposion.com/ijt/gilbert/sterling.htm (accessed 28/08/08)
The premise of this article leans on the highly problematic and controversial employment of dualisms when trying to understand human sexuality, in particular the nature/nurture and real/constructed dichotomies. Discussing ideas explored by well known feminists such as Judith Butler and Emily Grosz, Fausto-Sterling articulates the problems that continually arise when aiming to isolate the body from a specific gender – thus, the body becomes a site of debate and confusion for modern thought on where our sexuality might originate or develop. Quoting from Butler the author’s main argument can be summarised as such; “we must look at the body as a system that simultaneously produces and is produced by social meanings, just as any biological organism always results from the combined and simultaneous actions of nature and nurture.” And it is with caution that we continue to understand and define the body, avoiding categories that seek to condense the complexities of anatomy and self.
As previously stated, these online sources lay their central claim in the rapidly consuming importance of technology and corporal developments and understanding. The last article however is an attempt to demonstrate the way philosophical perspectives and contentions are still very much bound up in our perception of the bodies of the self and others. The sources attempt to convey a variety of interpretations of the body, mainly through modes of present and future thought.
[1] “One big error that can never be allowed is that of a primary sacrifice. For example, in our day, scientists, out of pride try to play God, and create test tube babies.” Sistare, John (1999) “What It Means To Be Human!” http://www.cfpeople.org/SeminarianWritings/Sem006.html (accessed 25/08/08)
[2] Sterlac (1994) Sterlac. http://www.stelarc.va.com.au/biog/biog.html (25/08/08)
[3] Sterlac (1994) Sterlac. http://www.stelarc.va.com.au/obsolete/obsolete.html (25/08/08)
[4] Taylor, p. 58
[5]Thomas, p. 366
Critical Annotated Webliography
Judy Waczam argues that Donna Haraway's figure of the cyborg has taken on 'a life of its own' in popular culture, science fiction and academic writing. In what ways has it been taken up by feminists?
It is true today that science and technology are imbedded into the structure of our society, and both play an integral part in it. However, science throughout history has been a male-dominated sphere, where science fiction writing and advances in technology, to name a few, have been part of a world which subjugates women. It is only in recent years that women have become far more involved in science, and technology in society. In techonology today, women are ever present in the cyborg figure. This mainly has to do with Donna Haraway's Cyborg Manifest, which changed the way feminists thought about science, and the way that science thought about women. Below are five online sources, found from all different areas of the Internet, which support of critique Haraway's cyborg manifest from a feminist point of view.
1. Campbell, Kirsten (2004). 'The Promise of Feminist Reflexitives: Developing Donna Haraway's Project for Feminist Science Studies', Hypatia, 19:1, 162-180. Accessed 19 August 2008.
This article focuses directly on Donna Haraway's ideas of feminism in the world of science. The article argues that Donna Haraway "provides an important account of science studies that is both feminist and constructive." As well as changing the identity of the cyborg, Haraway has also changed the way feminists view science studies. This article talks mainly about these issues, and is also very supportive of Haraway's ideas on science studies.
2. Sharp, Sharon (2007). 'Fembot Feminism: The Cyborg Body and Feminist Discourse in The Bionic Woman,' Women's Studies, 36:7, 507-523. Accessed 21 August 2008.
Sharon Sharp's article, 'Fembot Feminism: The Cyborg Body and Feminist Discourse in The Bionic Woman' talks about the first cyborg on television, Jaime Sommers in The Bionic Woman. This article focuses on how the female cyborg came into popular culture. The Bionic Woman was one of the most popular television shows of the 1970s, and was about a woman whose body was reconstructed with similar parts to man. The article mainly talks about the success of the television show, and audience's reactions to it. However it does also briefly mention about the cyborg aspect, and touches on how most people in today's society have been "reconstructed" in one way of another.
3. Plant, Sadie (1996). 'On the Matrix: Cyberfeminist Simulations', in Rob Shields (ed.), Culture of Internet: Virtual Spaces, Real Histories, Living Bodies, London: Sage, 170-183. Accessed 20 August 2008.
Sadie Plant is a very well known advocate for cyberfeminism. She argues "for a radical break with deep-seated gendered perceptions of technology." Having a strong feminist view on technology, Plant feels that women's minority can be of an advantage to them in the digital world and that they are inherently superior in cyberspace. This article by Sadie Plant also talks about the wealth of opportunity for women in cyberspace, as it is such a broad and never-ending arena that women are able to progress in the world of science. This article does not refer to Donna Haraway, yet talks about cyberspace as a whole.
4. Scott, Krista (1997). 'The Cyborg, the Scientist, the Feminist and Her Critic.' The Feminist eZine. Acccessed 21 August 2008.
This article focuses on the image of the cyborg, in critiquing yet also agreeing with Haraway's view of the cyborg in feminist understandings. Haraway states that the image of the cyborg is "a cybemetic organism, a hybrid of machine and organism, a creature of social reality as well as a creature of fiction." The author of this article focuses on this, and wether the cyborg is gendered or non-gendered. The author also focuses on science in society and where feminism is involved. Like Haraway, she seems to believe that feminism needs to move forward with science, not against it.
5. Caddick, Alison (1992). 'Feminist and Postmodern: Donna Haraway's Cyborg.' Arena Archives. Accessed 22 August 2008.
This article comes from a very left wing website, which makes it different from the rest of the articles. It has a strong argumentative and critical tone, which critiques and supports Haraway's writings. The article talks about second-wave feminism, class and race subjugation, white patriarchal society in Australia and America, and how these relate to the cyborg. The author of this article questions wether the cyborg really is an ideological figure, or just a mere construction.
All of these articles focus on the idea of the 'cyborg.' In today's society, are we all cyborgs? Is the cyborg really an ideological figure? Is the cyborg gendered? And has feminism finally embraced the cyborg? All of these questions are answered in the above articles. Donna Haraway's cyborg has helped feminists embrace science, and enabled feminists to be a part of the world of science and cyberspace. No longer a field dominated by males, Haraway has advanced women in the field of science through her cyborg manifest and ideas about the cyborg. All of these articles either challenge of embrace Haraway's view, yet all come from a feminist point of view. The cyborg has redefined what it is to be human, with feminists taking up this form of technology in what was once a male-dominated area.
REFERENCES
Caddick, Alison (1992). 'Feminist and Postmodern: Donna Haraway's Cyborg.' Arena Archives.
Campbell, Kirsten (2004). 'The Promise of Feminist Reflexitivities: Developing Donna Haraway's Project for Feminist Science Studies', Hypatia, 19:1, 162-180.
Haraway, Donna J. (1985). 'A Manifesto for Cyborgs: Science, Technology, and Socialist Feminism in the 1980s," Socialist Review 15(2), 65-107.
Plant, Sadie (1996). 'On the Matrix: Cyberfeminist Simulations,' in Rob Shields (ed.), Culture of Internet: Virtual Spaces, Real Histories, Living Bodies, London: Sage, 170-183.
Scott, Krista (1997). 'The Cyborg, the Scientist, the Feminist and Her Critic.' The Feminist eZine.
Sharp, Sharon (2007). 'Fembot Feminism: The Cyborg Body and Feminist Discourse in The Bionic Woman,' Women's Studies, 36:7, 507-523.
Tolfetti, Kim (2007). Cyborgs and Barbie Dolls: Feminism, Popular Culture and the Posthuman Body. New York, Tauris.
Question 2- Critical Annotated Webliography
2. “From Frankenstein to the Visible Human Project, the body is continually reinterpreted as a limit to what it means to be human.” Discuss critically.
Both Frankenstein and the Visible Human Project show the use of technology to re-define human body – to mix and match our organs with that of animals or machines so as to make us a whole new breed of humans. It is therefore important to know what it really means to be a human. So does an empty body which shells all our organs and our brain defines us as a human, or having conscious, emotions and being able to think rationally make us one?
Anne Cranny Francis compares the human body created in the image of God to human body which has been incorporated with technology. She uses Terminator and compared him to God and shows us that they are not that different. She states that ‘the body of Christ is cut and pierced and nailed to a cross in a monstrous act of prosthesis in which this prosthetic attachment of the tortured body to the wooden artefact of the cross constituted a cyborg’. (Cranny-Francis, 2006) Similarly, the VHP shows the body of Jernigan being cut up and put together again digitally. After Jesus Christ was persecuted, He still lives on according to the Christians and this is similar to Jernigan, in which his body is digitally brought back to life after his death. Therefore, Anne Cranny-Francis is trying to put forward the fact that what makes us human ‘is not identified with or through our body, (but that) the essence of the person is the free-roaming ‘mind’ or consciousness’. (Cranny-Francis, 2006) If humans are still able to think and feel, then technology has not redefined us. This article is interesting as it makes use of famous sci-fi films which show the human characteristics of cyborg. Terminator, a man embodied in machines, ‘pierces his own flesh repeatedly to save the innocent’ (Cranny-Francis, 2006) which shows the similarity of human and cyborg.
Charles T. Rubin uses 4 different books to present to us the different views of ‘researchers in the field of robotics, genetic engineering, artificial intelligence, and nanotechnology’. (T. Rubin, 2006, p.64) These researchers have different ideas to how technology has benefitted the world and should technology be used liberally to improve the health and our quality of life. From this article, I realised that technology will never overshine the functions of human body. For example, Naam pointed out that technology can ‘extend the capacities of sight for the healthy, allowing (us) to see parts of the spectrum now invisible to us’. (T. Rubin, 2006, p.69) However, Chorost who has the firsthand experience of being a cyborg notes that although his implants allow him to hear ‘closer to normal’ but it ‘does not allow him to hear dog highs or whale lows’. (T. Rubin, 2006, p.69) Technology thus has not enhanced our pure human body but only help those who has flaws in their human body. Charles, however, counter-argued that the lure of the power of technology can overpower our human mind and thereby allowing the ‘embodiment of intelligence into machines rather than man’. (T. Rubin, 2006, p.64) I choose this article because it shows two side of the argument – one being that technology is only useful to those who have flaws in their body and the other one being that in the real world, we are able to inventing better technology which will be able to enhance the functions of not only the body, but also the mind of a human being thus blurring the identity of human.
Wrye Sententia reviewed a book by Michael Chorost, a Cochlear-implant patient, who is able to provide a personal account about his feelings about being a cyborg. In this article, it shows that being a cyborg does not allow one to be more powerful, on the contrary, ‘Chorost describes in detail the fragility of his technological self- and the precarious humanity at risk (and) recounts his pain in the way that organic humans do’. (Sententia, 2006, p.94) This clearly shows that being a hybrid of man and machine does not take away one’s conscious and emotions, and thereby we are still a human with limitations. Chorost advocates that advancement in medical technology is still important for those people who have the need to ‘fix their disabilities’. (Sententia, 2006, p.94) This article shows that having awareness is still what defines us as human, and that technology is unable to take away our emotions from us.
Catherine Waldby uses the Visible Human Project (VHP) to show how technology has infiltrated into our human lives. As Catherine Waldby wrote, ‘a technology now exists which can transform a fleshly body in real space into a digital body in virtual space.’ (Waldby, 1996) The VHP has shown that modern medical technology is able to penetrate through the human body, and producing images of our inner organs. The success of the VHP shows that technology is also able to revive a dead person in the digital world. This is a disturbing fact because technology has not only taken over our everyday lives but also us when our bodies are unable to function. VHP also shows how our body is reinterpreted whereby technology has actually pushed up the limits of the human bodies. Without technology, one will think that a human body is only useful when it can move and function properly. The fact is that technology has overpowered our human abilities and redefines our capability even when we are dead. I choose this article because it is a credible scholarly article and it shows how technology has allowed us to function like a human in the digital world when we are dead.
Chuck Meyer is trying to assert to us that it is not wise in trying to ‘fully define what human identity is’ but instead try to ‘recognise and accept the partiality and contradictions that cyborg identity contains’. (Chuck, 1997) I do agree that it is hard to distinguish humans from cyborg when ‘computers are becoming an extension of the human bodies’ (Chuck, 1997) and that humans do rely a lot on technology to get through their lives. According to Donna Haraway, it is indeed a confusing route to take when one tries to set apart the boundaries between human and cyborg and I guess one has to accept that there is a shift in human identity to becoming more of a cyborg. I choose this article because it gives a new point of view to my argument – that we should stop trying to define what it means to be human and to accept that humans are not able to survive without technology in today’s world. This article will support the previous article that technology although blurred the identity of human, but it is something that human cannot do without due to all the advantages that technology has brought to us.
References
Cranny-Francis, Anne. ‘Somatic Technologies: Embodiment, New Technologies and the Undead’. Scan: A Journal of Media Arts Culture 3 (3).
< journal_id="84">. (2006). Accessed 29th August 2008.
Meyer, Chuck. ‘Human Identity in the Age of Computers – Cyborg Identities’. (1997). Accessed 27th August 2008.
Sententia,Wrye. ‘Prosthetic Perception: Turn on, Tune in, Tune out (and then hit Replay)’. Journal of Evolution and Technology 15 (1).. (2006). Accessed 1st October 2008
T. Rubin, Charles. ‘The Rhetoric of Extinction’. The New Atlantis: A Journal of Technology and Society 11.. (2006). Accessed 1st October 2008.
Waldby, Catherine. ‘Revenants: The Visible Human Project and the Digital Uncanny’, Murdoch University WA. <>. (August 1996) Accessed 27th August 2008.
Both Frankenstein and the Visible Human Project show the use of technology to re-define human body – to mix and match our organs with that of animals or machines so as to make us a whole new breed of humans. It is therefore important to know what it really means to be a human. So does an empty body which shells all our organs and our brain defines us as a human, or having conscious, emotions and being able to think rationally make us one?
Anne Cranny Francis compares the human body created in the image of God to human body which has been incorporated with technology. She uses Terminator and compared him to God and shows us that they are not that different. She states that ‘the body of Christ is cut and pierced and nailed to a cross in a monstrous act of prosthesis in which this prosthetic attachment of the tortured body to the wooden artefact of the cross constituted a cyborg’. (Cranny-Francis, 2006) Similarly, the VHP shows the body of Jernigan being cut up and put together again digitally. After Jesus Christ was persecuted, He still lives on according to the Christians and this is similar to Jernigan, in which his body is digitally brought back to life after his death. Therefore, Anne Cranny-Francis is trying to put forward the fact that what makes us human ‘is not identified with or through our body, (but that) the essence of the person is the free-roaming ‘mind’ or consciousness’. (Cranny-Francis, 2006) If humans are still able to think and feel, then technology has not redefined us. This article is interesting as it makes use of famous sci-fi films which show the human characteristics of cyborg. Terminator, a man embodied in machines, ‘pierces his own flesh repeatedly to save the innocent’ (Cranny-Francis, 2006) which shows the similarity of human and cyborg.
Charles T. Rubin uses 4 different books to present to us the different views of ‘researchers in the field of robotics, genetic engineering, artificial intelligence, and nanotechnology’. (T. Rubin, 2006, p.64) These researchers have different ideas to how technology has benefitted the world and should technology be used liberally to improve the health and our quality of life. From this article, I realised that technology will never overshine the functions of human body. For example, Naam pointed out that technology can ‘extend the capacities of sight for the healthy, allowing (us) to see parts of the spectrum now invisible to us’. (T. Rubin, 2006, p.69) However, Chorost who has the firsthand experience of being a cyborg notes that although his implants allow him to hear ‘closer to normal’ but it ‘does not allow him to hear dog highs or whale lows’. (T. Rubin, 2006, p.69) Technology thus has not enhanced our pure human body but only help those who has flaws in their human body. Charles, however, counter-argued that the lure of the power of technology can overpower our human mind and thereby allowing the ‘embodiment of intelligence into machines rather than man’. (T. Rubin, 2006, p.64) I choose this article because it shows two side of the argument – one being that technology is only useful to those who have flaws in their body and the other one being that in the real world, we are able to inventing better technology which will be able to enhance the functions of not only the body, but also the mind of a human being thus blurring the identity of human.
Wrye Sententia reviewed a book by Michael Chorost, a Cochlear-implant patient, who is able to provide a personal account about his feelings about being a cyborg. In this article, it shows that being a cyborg does not allow one to be more powerful, on the contrary, ‘Chorost describes in detail the fragility of his technological self- and the precarious humanity at risk (and) recounts his pain in the way that organic humans do’. (Sententia, 2006, p.94) This clearly shows that being a hybrid of man and machine does not take away one’s conscious and emotions, and thereby we are still a human with limitations. Chorost advocates that advancement in medical technology is still important for those people who have the need to ‘fix their disabilities’. (Sententia, 2006, p.94) This article shows that having awareness is still what defines us as human, and that technology is unable to take away our emotions from us.
Catherine Waldby uses the Visible Human Project (VHP) to show how technology has infiltrated into our human lives. As Catherine Waldby wrote, ‘a technology now exists which can transform a fleshly body in real space into a digital body in virtual space.’ (Waldby, 1996) The VHP has shown that modern medical technology is able to penetrate through the human body, and producing images of our inner organs. The success of the VHP shows that technology is also able to revive a dead person in the digital world. This is a disturbing fact because technology has not only taken over our everyday lives but also us when our bodies are unable to function. VHP also shows how our body is reinterpreted whereby technology has actually pushed up the limits of the human bodies. Without technology, one will think that a human body is only useful when it can move and function properly. The fact is that technology has overpowered our human abilities and redefines our capability even when we are dead. I choose this article because it is a credible scholarly article and it shows how technology has allowed us to function like a human in the digital world when we are dead.
Chuck Meyer is trying to assert to us that it is not wise in trying to ‘fully define what human identity is’ but instead try to ‘recognise and accept the partiality and contradictions that cyborg identity contains’. (Chuck, 1997) I do agree that it is hard to distinguish humans from cyborg when ‘computers are becoming an extension of the human bodies’ (Chuck, 1997) and that humans do rely a lot on technology to get through their lives. According to Donna Haraway, it is indeed a confusing route to take when one tries to set apart the boundaries between human and cyborg and I guess one has to accept that there is a shift in human identity to becoming more of a cyborg. I choose this article because it gives a new point of view to my argument – that we should stop trying to define what it means to be human and to accept that humans are not able to survive without technology in today’s world. This article will support the previous article that technology although blurred the identity of human, but it is something that human cannot do without due to all the advantages that technology has brought to us.
References
Cranny-Francis, Anne. ‘Somatic Technologies: Embodiment, New Technologies and the Undead’. Scan: A Journal of Media Arts Culture 3 (3).
< journal_id="84">. (2006). Accessed 29th August 2008.
Meyer, Chuck. ‘Human Identity in the Age of Computers – Cyborg Identities’.
Sententia,Wrye. ‘Prosthetic Perception: Turn on, Tune in, Tune out (and then hit Replay)’. Journal of Evolution and Technology 15 (1).
T. Rubin, Charles. ‘The Rhetoric of Extinction’. The New Atlantis: A Journal of Technology and Society 11.
Waldby, Catherine. ‘Revenants: The Visible Human Project and the Digital Uncanny’, Murdoch University WA. <>. (August 1996) Accessed 27th August 2008.
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