social justice & equality
‘Woodstock ’99’ Documentary: A Long Day’s Journey Into ‘Break Stuff’
A new HBO doc looks back on the disaster that was three days of music, rage and toxic masculinity run amuck.
Source: ‘Woodstock ’99’ Documentary: A Long Day’s Journey Into ‘Break Stuff’
A People’s History of Black Twitter, Part III
By the end of the Obama era, Black Twitter seemed like a fully realized world, with its own codes and customs. As it reached new levels of visibility and influence, though, deep-rooted problems began to reassert themselves. Users were hardly surprised.
How a teen punk led a movement for disabled people online
From Tumblr to TikTok, young disabled people are deciding how to represent themselves
Source: How a teen punk led a movement for disabled people online
Virtual Reality Is the Rich White Kid of Technology
For decades, VR has failed to live up to expectations. Yet somehow, it keeps receiving more chances and more resources.
Uber And Lyft Drivers Are Being Carjacked at Alarming Rates
The Markup confirmed 124 carjackings and attempted carjackings of ride-hail drivers across the country. Drivers say the companies are doing little to help
Source: Uber And Lyft Drivers Are Being Carjacked at Alarming Rates
A People’s History of Black Twitter, Part II
No longer just an online movement, Black Twitter takes to the streets—and finds its voice.
Instagram ‘pushes weight-loss messages to teenagers’
Researchers find minimal interactions by teen users can trigger a deluge of thin-body and dieting images Instagram’s algorithms are pushing teenage girls who even briefly engage with fitness-related images towards a flood of weight-loss content, according to new research which aimed to recreate the experience of being a child on social networks.
Source: Instagram ‘pushes weight-loss messages to teenagers’
Hollywood’s Labor Force Does Not Reflect California’s Diversity
Norm Langley was one of the first Black camera operators to break into the business in the early 1970s, when the industry was facing government pressure to diversify. He had a 38-year career, working on TV shows like “The Practice” and movies including “The Color Purple” and “Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade.” In his retirement, he has grown increasingly agitated that his union — IATSE Local 600 — never did more to recruit minorities.
Source: Hollywood’s Labor Force Does Not Reflect California’s Diversity
Activision Blizzard Sued Over ‘Frat Boy’ Culture, Harassment
Video game giant Activision Blizzard Inc., maker of games including World of Warcraft and Diablo, fosters a “frat boy” culture in which female employees are subjected to constant sexual harassment, unequal pay, and retaliation, according to a lawsuit filed by the California Department of Fair Employment and Housing.
Source: Activision Blizzard Sued Over ‘Frat Boy’ Culture, Harassment (1)
These African animators are saving their native languages using cartoons
Disney+ and Cartoon Network, two major US animation platforms, announced last month they will air four productions by African creators. This comes on the heels of similar announcements by streaming giants like Netflix and Youtube Originals, indicating a demand for representation and homegrown narratives among African audiences amidst a global market boom for animated content.
Source: These African animators are saving their native languages using cartoons
The American Booksellers Association promoted an anti-trans book, apologized, and then deleted it.
The American Booksellers Association has made their Twitter account private after promoting a scientifically inaccurate anti-trans book, apologizing, and then deleting the apology. The controversy started when the ABA, as part of their July “white box” promotional mailing, sent 750 bookstores a copy of freelance journalist Abigail Shrier’s Irreversible Damage: The Transgender Craze Seducing Our Daughters , whose cover features a doleful-looking girl with a big hole cut out of her center.
Source: The American Booksellers Association promoted an anti-trans book, apologized, and then deleted it.
What the “Creator Economy” Promises—and What It Actually Does
The influencer is a fading stock character of the Internet’s commedia dell’arte. Often a conventionally attractive white woman, she shows off her aspirational life style via social-media channels. She accrues a large following, and then makes a living by getting companies to sponsor the content of her glamorous life.
Source: What the “Creator Economy” Promises—and What It Actually Does
What Will Be the Language of Our Digital Future?
Most of the tech that we encounter is built with an English-speaking user in mind. After all, English is used throughout the world, with more than a billion people speaking it as a second language. Indeed, most of us who speak English also speak another language, often switching to English only in specific formal contexts or when consuming the cultural products of the current global hegemon, the United States. The platforms that we rely on to remain connected in this digital age are not ready for our multilingual truths: We live in numerous languages, and constraining our ability to communicate in them effectively limits our ability to participate fully in our digital future.
Beyond Silicon Valley
The six cities building the future of the global tech industry. Each has its own story and a set of unique factors behind its rise. What they all do carry is a measure of the Silicon Valley myth: The idea that, if you want to make it in tech, you need to be there.
Source: Beyond Silicon Valley
From Macy’s to Ace Hardware, facial recognition is already everywhere
Rite Aid had deployed facial recognition in at least 200 stores over eight years, before ditching the technology last year. Facial recognition is popping up at our favorite stores, but customers are largely unaware.
Source: From Macy’s to Ace Hardware, facial recognition is already everywhere
See also: Black teen misidentified by facial recognition sparks fears of machine-driven segregation
‘Welcome to the Mesh, Brother’: Guerrilla Wi-Fi Comes to New York
NYC Mesh, a band of a few dozen tech volunteers, takes on Verizon and the big “incumbent providers,” with the promise of inexpensive community internet.
Source: ‘Welcome to the Mesh, Brother’: Guerrilla Wi-Fi Comes to New York
A People’s History of Black Twitter, Part I
From #UKnowUrBlackWhen to #BlackLivesMatter, how a loose online network became a pop culture juggernaut, an engine of social justice, and a lens into the future.
No cults, no politics, no ghouls: how China censors the video game world
China’s video game market is the world’s biggest. International developers want in on it – but its rules on what is acceptable are growing increasingly harsh. Is it worth the compromise?
Source: No cults, no politics, no ghouls: how China censors the video game world
Inside the Industry That Unmasks People at Scale
Tech companies have repeatedly reassured the public that trackers used to follow smartphone users through apps are anonymous or at least pseudonymous, not directly identifying the person using the phone. But what they don’t mention is that an entire overlooked industry exists to purposefully and explicitly shatter that anonymity.
Source: Inside the Industry That Unmasks People at Scale
See also: ‘Chilling Effect’: Reporter Says Police Are Using This Israeli Tech to Hack Journalists’ Phones
I am a Black female CEO, and this is how I redefined the white men’s club in tech
The first female CEO of SMASH explains the lessons she learned from being the only (or one of very few) Black woman in STEM from school to the workplace.
Source: I am a Black female CEO, and this is how I redefined the white men’s club in tech