Nice Guys, Virgins, and Incels: Gender in Remixing and Sharing Memes at Hackathons

Por um escritor misterioso

Last updated 18 fevereiro 2025

Nice Guys, Virgins, and Incels: Gender in Remixing and Sharing Memes at Hackathons

This paper investigates how the conceptions of gender in memes are central to socializing at hackathons, and provides insight into how references to memes and informal technology culture shape interaction in local manifestations of this culture. 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.