Big Data, Digitalization and Cyberfeminism was a succes

An introduction by Associate Dean Andreas de Neergaard and four different and very interesting talks introduced the audience for feminist perspectives on Big Data, Digitalization and Cyberfeminism.

Professor Gabriele Griffin came from Uppsala University to introduce us to digital humanities. Griffin emphasized the changes that digitalization and big data has had to the labour market, making professions like nursing much more about data management and registration than at any time previously. An interesting point was how technologies are conversely seen as objects/tools for the human subject when they work – or as subjects that interfere with and make humans objects when they don’t. Griffin’s talk thereby illustrated the need to reflect upon our relation to and responsibility towards the technologies around us, not least in relation to their use in social infrastructures and war.

Next, assistant professor Nanna Thylstrup and post doc Daniela Agostinho gave a short presentation about their Uncertain Archives project, where they have looked into the uncertainties of big data. Their project critically investigates the different kinds of uncertainties involved in big data collection, management and interpretation, and they gave interesting examples of cases from their work.

Associate professor Anders Kristian Munk from the technoanthropology group at DPU then gave a short presentation about critical digital methods, showing how approaches to the digital has changed from viewing the digital as something separate (‘cyberspace’) to viewing it as situated (embedded in a specific context and materiality). This approach is useful for creating more complex and situated knowledge about digital technologies and how they work, and for making the technologies and their creators accountable for this.

The last speaker was Maia K. Lorentzen from the cyberfeminist activist group Do:topia. Lorentzen gave a short presentation about the changing expectations about the internet – from utopian expectations to dystopian fears, ending up with their activist suggestion for do:topia; asking how we want the internet-present and future to look like, and how we should go about creating this? Do:topia makes workshops and camps about programming and internet-activism, trying to educate themselves in good internet behavior, internet security, and inclusive and solidary digital practices.

In the final panel discussion the speakers had inspiring conversations with the audience about the many critical issues addressed in the talks – not least about what to do to manage the complexity, uncertainties and security issues around digital technologies and big data.

We hope that the rest of your day was just as fun, critical and subversive. See you again next year!