Photo by Rob Shenk
We are excited to announce that DIGS Lab researchers will be presenting two papers at the AoIR2023 Conference taking place from 18-23 October in Philadelphia, PA (USA).
The Association of Internet Researchers (AoIR) is an international academic association dedicated to the advancement of the cross-disciplinary field of Internet studies. This year’s AoIR conference theme is Revolution, which broadly examines the internet’s revolutionary promises and failures in regard to facilitating political, social, cultural, and technological overturns. The conference will be hosted by Temple University (TU) and the University of Pennsylvania (Penn) in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (USA) from October 18-23, 2023.
Participating in the TikTok Panel, Stefanie Duguay, Özgem Elif Acar, and Hannah Jamet-Lange will present the paper titled “Dear baby gays: Investigating the sociotechnical practices of older LGBTQ+ TikTok users” which resulted from DIGS Lab’s ongoing project Algorithms and “Elderqueers”: An Exploration of Intergenerational Exchanges about Sexual Identity on TikTok. This paper contributes to the growing scholarship revolving around issues of LGBTQ+ visibility and censorship on TikTok, by focusing on the self-presentation practices of the under-researched TikTok public of older LGBTQ+ users. Duguay, Elif Acar, and Jamet-Lange will speak about the novel methods of data collection this research employed and findings derived from the visual and textual content analysis. Preliminary insights discuss the recurring topics in videos of older LGBTQ+ TikTokers, as well as how these practices are informed by and negotiated with TikTok’s affordances and platform infrastructure.
The DIGS Lab’s Alex Chartrand and Stefanie Duguay have both contributed to a paper led by Dr. David Myles from Institut national de la recherche scientifique (INRS). The paper “'If We Look at It from an LGBT Point of View…’ Mobilizing LGBTQ+ Stakeholders To Queer Algorithmic Imaginaries” features in the LGBTQIA+ Internet Studies Panel. It reflects the output of Phase 2 of the collaborative project Queering Algorithmic Governance which examines the social implications that platform algorithms raise for LGBTQ+ communities. Myles, Chartrand, and Duguay will speak about preliminary results derived from interviews with Canadian social media managers of LGBTQ+ non-profit organizations and with Canada-based LGBTQ+ tech workers. The interviews focused on the topics of algorithmic controversies for the LGBTQ+ community, LGBTQ+ algorithmic imaginaries and practices, and pathways of resistance to algorithmic governance.
The rest of the conference program can be found here, and we are looking forward to seeing you in Philadelphia!