[Preview] Nice Guys, Virgins, and Incels: Gender in Remixing and Sharing Memes at Hackathons
Sian JM Brooke
CHI'22: ACM Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems
Session: Gender and Communities
Abstract
This paper investigates how the conceptions of gender in memes are central to socializing at hackathons. Drawing on a multi-sited ethnography of seven hackathons, I provide insight into how references to memes and informal technology culture shape interaction in local manifestations of this culture. The contribution of this paper is twofold. First, I show how vocabularies and artifacts of technology culture move between on and offline spaces. These findings have implications for HCI research that investigates questions of materiality in computer-mediated communication. Second, I show how even the mundane memes of technology culture can reveal the toxic masculinity and ideology of Incels. By tying these internet memes to a physical context, I unpack how humor can reveal and perpetuate the enduring masculine dominance of technology. I end with recommendations for increasing inclusivity at hackathons, based on how HCI is uniquely positioned to understand how Internet symbols and interactions manifest offline.
WEB:: http://programs.sigchi.org/chi/2022/program/content/72157
Presentation Video:: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5liDh7yyAy0
DOI:: https://doi.org/10.1145/3491102.3517627
Video previews for CHI 2022 papers