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Social Media Freaks Author: Dustin Kidd Chapter 5: GamerGate Gender Perspectives on Social Media Westview Press, an imprint of Hachette Book Group. Overview In this lesson, we will… 1. Examine the phenomenon of GamerGate and the way it played out in social media, 2. Utilize feminist theory to understand the role that gender played in GamerGate, 3. Review the ways that scholars are studying gender in and with social media, and 4. Review the role of social media tools in collecting and sharing data from a virtual ethnography. But first, an invitation… Westview Press, an imprint of Hachette Book Group. Invitation Westview Press, an imprint of Hachette Book Group. Invitation Westview Press, an imprint of Hachette Book Group. Theory • • • • Feminist Frequency Feminist media project run by Anita Sarkeesian, launched in 2009 Earliest videos reviewed Dollhouse, Veronica Mars, and True Blood Well known for posts about the Bechdel Test gendered toys Launched a Kickstarter campaign in 2012 to raise $6,000 for the series “Tropes vs. Women in Video Games” that actually raised $150,000 Westview Press, an imprint of Hachette Book Group. Theory Feminist Frequency Addresses Video Games Westview Press, an imprint of Hachette Book Group. Theory Feminist Frequency Addresses GamerGate Westview Press, an imprint of Hachette Book Group. GamerGate Moments • • • • • • Screencaps and Social Media Archives in Virtual Ethnography Although there are multiple ways to archive a webpage, there is the risk that the archive will be taken down or have limited functionality Screen captures are a nice way to grab an image of a site or a platform at specific moment in time Screencaps can be saved to image archives on Flickr or Google Photos and shared publicly Disparate videos on YouTube can be collected and shared as a playlist Pinterest allows these archives of images AND videos to be collected, curated, and shared Prezi is an additional helpful resource for collecting, curating, and sharing, and allows the researcher to add a narrative. Westview Press, an imprint of Hachette Book Group. GamerGate Moments • Created by Zoe Quinn • Released in 2013 • “[S]uddenly I started getting stuff sent to my email. “Oh I saw your game on Greenlight and I hope you kill yourself.” • An attack on DQ was organized on Wizardchan, a site for male virgins over 30 who are Not in Education, Employment, or Training (NEET). Westview Press, an imprint of Hachette Book Group. GamerGate Moments • • • • Game_Jam and The Fine Young Capitalists In late March 2014, Quinn was invited to participate in the taping of a reality show “Game_Jam” The show fell apart when the host kept making sexist remarks Quinn was accused of undermining the show deliberately Also in 2014, Quinn critiqued a group known as the Fine Young Capitalists, who were sponsoring a contest for women game developers: – Quinn accused them of using women for free research and development – She also raised concerns about their transgender policy Westview Press, an imprint of Hachette Book Group. GamerGate Moments • • • • TL;DR Eron Gjoni began writing his blog, The Zoe Post, about his relationship with Quinn, in August of 2014 The TL;DR post claimed that she’d had a sexual relationship with Nathan Grayson, and with other folks in gaming and games journalism This unleashed a social media storm directed at Quinn, organized on 4chan, perhaps by Gjoni himself Quinn had to go into hiding and has taken Gjoni to court repeatedly for violating a restraining order Westview Press, an imprint of Hachette Book Group. GamerGate Moments Mundane Matt and The Internet Aristocrat 2 vlogs that took the lead on GamerGate Westview Press, an imprint of Hachette Book Group. GamerGate Moments Me Jayne • Actor Adam Baldwin (Jayne Cobb on Firefly) dubbed the controversy GamerGate with this tweet on August 27, 2014 • Baldwin has also written several pieces for Breitbart, where his fellow author Milo Yiannopolis has led the defense of GamerGate • The same day, Anita Sarkeesian received rape and death threats on Twitter and had to flee her home Westview Press, an imprint of Hachette Book Group. GamerGate Moments • • • • 8chan and Open Carry When 4chan banned GamerGate discussions, it moved to 8chan When game developer Brianna Wu tweeted about GG, the Twitter account pictured here began sending her disturbing and threatening tweets Wu went into hiding Soon after, Anita Sarkeesian, was scheduled to speak at Utah State University but canceled because the school refused to screen visitors for weapons due to Utah’s ‘open carry’ gun law, despite anonymous threats of violence Westview Press, an imprint of Hachette Book Group. GamerGate Moments • • • • • The End of Gaming? No arrests have been made from any of the harassment cases, despite an FBI investigation Multiple commentators have questioned whether GG would be the end of gaming or the end of the gamer identity Gaming persists, as does GG Researcher Jennifer Allaway, whose survey on GG was flooded with responses like “suck my dick” and “kill yourself,” argues that GG should be seen as a hate group. Multiple commentators have drawn parallels between GG and the election of Donald Trump, including GGers. – Doxxing of major figures, especially women – Creation on message boards of conspiracy theories – Coordination with Breitbart and other alt-right media outlets Westview Press, an imprint of Hachette Book Group. Discussion How should sociologists make sense of GamerGate? – Is it really about ethics in games journalism? • Is it possible or reasonable to approach GamerGaters with a spirit of empathy? – Where would this approach lead us? • Why gaming? – What is it about gaming culture that allowed this controversy to unfold here rather than in other spaces that have been critiqued by feminist perspectives? Westview Press, an imprint of Hachette Book Group. Discussion • What issues does GamerGate raise about social media? – – – – Doxxing Harassment Anonymity Free Speech • What can we do to make social media safer? Westview Press, an imprint of Hachette Book Group. Wrap-Up Key terms, concepts, and names from this unit: • • • • • • • • • • • GamerGate Eron Gjoni Depression Quest Zoe Quinn Wizardchan 2chan 4chan 8chan NEET Hikikomiri Game jam • • • • • • • • • • • Vlogger Reddit Doxxing TL;DR SJW Feminist Frequency Anita Sarkeesian Brianna Wu Adam Baldwin Vivian James Autobotika Westview Press, an imprint of Hachette Book Group. Resources To explore these topics further: • Some Twitter users have made tools to protect themselves from GamerGate. You can block GamerGaters from harassing you by visiting this site and clicking “Block All and Subscribe”: https://blocktogether.org/showblocks/5867111278318bd542293272f75147f8fc5931bea431e7ca16 e9242964965d66494a6fb68f3518b82f171bcf0e419ccc (or search on Google for “Block Together.” • Read the essays in: The State of Play: Creators and Critics on Video Game Culture. • Follow Women in Gaming International (@GetWIGI) on Twitter and get to know there work to promote gender equality in gaming: http://www.womeningamesinternational.org. Westview Press, an imprint of Hachette Book Group.