| Many second wave feminists supposed mere use of technology would empower and equalize their daughters' and granddaughters' generations. As a part of that generation, I am concerned with the role content plays in this assumption. Women are more comfortable with technology than ever before, yet the adaptations made by content creators to accommodate women's presence online have worked to reinforce traditional notions of gender. Technology is not inherently liberating or empowering. Using a feminist critique of postfeminism as my framework, I examine particular women's spaces online and uncover what kinds of messages are perpetuated. Whereas academics once articulated the need for more women in technology, it is clear that my generation should be articulating the need for more feminists in technology. Feminists currently utilizing social networking sites must be more vocal in their politics, setting examples for other users that postfeminist rhetoric is dangerously complicit with patriarchal ideals. |
