We need to be technology critics as well as technology users…
Selfe, C.L., & Selfe, R.J. (1994). The politics of the interface: Power and its exercise in electronic contact zones. College Composition and Communication, 45(4), 480-504.
The borders of social power are so commonplace in society that they often remain invisible. Selfe and Selfe explore computer interfaces as a border that represents dominant tendencies in American culture, proposing that consumers should not only be technology users but also technology critics. They wrote this article in order to identify some of the effects of domination and colonialism associated with computer use to “establish a new discursive territory within which to understand the relationships between technology and education” (p. 482).
Computers have been used in the hopes to democratize the classroom and may be less systematically oppressive. However, this is a dangerous assumption—the belief that computers and networks are “the same for all players.” Rather, Selfe and Selfe evaluate and present that computer interfaces value “monoculturalism, capitalism, and phallologic thinking” (p. 486). Interfaces include icons orientated to the ideals of the white, male, middle- and upper-class professional (i.e. white pointer hand). English is also the default language of interfaces and many commercial items only come in English.
These primary interfaces do not provide evidence of different cultures, races, linguistic groups, or economic statuses. Interfaces exclude and marginalize Other perspectives, and in doing so, enact a gesture of colonialism. Interfaces, therefore, operate as a grand narrative where users must abandon their “own culture or gender to acknowledge the dominance of other groups” (p. 494).
The authors propose that users need to recognize these cultural and linguistic borders to reveal power differentials. Interfaces must also be revised to reflect a range of cultural, linguistic, and ideological perspectives to represent the “underrepresented”—non-white cultures, non-English speakers, and women. Users cannot be mere objective observers of these barriers.
Overall, Selfe and Selfe illustrate the computer as a gendered, classed, and racist technology in this critical essay.
Group #2: Jennifer and Gary
10 comments:
I wholeheartedly agree with the authors that technology users must also become technology critics--it's one way we can avoid the ethic of expediency mentioned in the Katz article. But I think this article makes some sweeping generalizations about technology and interfaces that may be fallacious. I'm usually hesitant to make such direct links as are made in this article. Causes are always more nuanced and complex than "this is racist because..." or "this is classist because..." Remember that DOS used a black screen on which white text was displayed. Perhaps the greater percentage of black should be construed as some form of reverse racism?
Anyway, like I said, I don't really disagree with their conclusion. Luckily, we live in a vastly different world than the one that existed in 1994. Ubuntu Linux's color scheme is called "human" because it emphasizes the varying shades of human pigmentation. The open source movement allows people in specific cultures to crack open the program and retool it to reflect their own values and needs. I think many of the criticisms about technology made in this article are actually criticisms of those who controlled technology at the time the article was written. Most of those people were rich and white. It's no surprise that the first interfaces reflected this. But software development is opening up more and more every day, and the promise of egalitarianism is becoming more of a reality.
Wow, lots in this essay. I agree that we need to be critical of our assumptions. For example, I believe it was in Campbell that the assumption was that users would read Web pages from left to right. I would guess that, in some cultures, that isn't the standard because they don't read paper texts that way. But in this culture, that is the standard. so do we have to throw out the baby with the bath water? I don't think so. I think we can understand and accept our conventions without being dismissive of others'. However, we need to accept our assumptions as legitimate too, as long as we do that in a thoughtful, respectful way.
This essay made me think about a discussion we had in our usability class about access to Internet and technology. It's not just about the content of the Website or its design, but if the user is limited to even accessing the site due to disability, economical status or gender then the issues are the same, but the solution proposal is entirely different. Much of the racist or classist grouping happens in one's mind, also and it has to do with barriers that are established within a society (at home, in schools or groups). To some extent I agree with David: a person who is set on perceiving things a certain way and being overly sensitive to possible offenses to recism etc. may go out of their way to interpret something as racist while it's just a message without any hidden agenda.
I have never thought about computers in this way before. I can picture the reference to the white pointer finger, but I've never thought of it as being a racist icon. I am white though, so maybe that is why. Has anyone of another race thought about the icon as racist before reading this article?
I really didn't like the idea of our computer interfaces being racist, capitalist, and showing class privelege. The assumptions made sense, but there are no real solutions now.
The last section of the article in which it offered that the composition teachers and students work together to reconceiving the map of the interface was interesting. It sounded like a great learning opportunity and possibly something that could actually be used by the software design specialists.
I think one of the most interesting things about these essays are the authors' comments as they introduce the essay. Most of the essays were written years ago; some of their messages seem out of date in light of where technology has traveled in the last several decades. The authors in this essay acknowledge that the essay is flawed in ways. They say that the article "only scratched the surface" and that it was "limited in its vision." But the really interesting thing is how often these essays were ahead of their time in addressing issues that are still pertinent today. I have wondered why we study a text book that is 4 years old and has essays that were written 10, and even 20 years ago, but I think it presents a valuable history that shows us both how far we have come and also have things really haven't changed that much.
Interface design has come a long way since the early days of PCs. I appreciate what the authors are saying about sensitivity and inclusiveness in interface design considerations. But what exactly does a multi-cultural interface look like? In order to sell me on their claims of racism, I'd really like to see some empirical research that backs up their assumptions.
Sure, certain conventions from the culture of the designer and developer will appear in the final interface design. But the examples in some parts of the essay seem a little puzzling. For instance, the criticism of the Mac interface as leaning to a privileged, capitalist, society isinteresting. What exactly was the computer built to do? Early Macs were productivity tools for businesses and schools. The manufacturer had an obligation to sell the machines and the interface catered to the customer, right?
So, their claims may be somewhat accurate, but I don't know if the intent was to be racist, but rather to sell a computer.
This article presented a lot of interesting ideas, some of which I had not considered previously. I had never really thought of computer interfaces reflecting a racial or gendered majority; however I have long been aware of the issue with accessibility, although it has never been a particular problem for me personally. I agree with Mary about the cursor as a white pointer finger; I had never seen it in this way either. I think that if I had given it some thought, I would have assumed it was a matter of contrast.
I can't decide whether the authors are reading things into the conventions we use, or whether we are, in fact, limited by these design features. I believe the use of desktop icons, a white hand for a pointer, and the English as the primary language are a reflection of the designers' world. I think they were probably also designing for needs that they perceived at that time.
Since then, of course, the use of computers has spread from business offices (with primarily Caucasian employees) to homes and classrooms around the world -- and it's true that the design features do not represent the multicultural aspects of users.
The question is: how much of a problem is this? As an English-speaking Caucasian woman who works in an office with educated professionals, perhaps I'm not the best to judge. This article definitely made me think.
This article brought up many different aspects of technology use and the impact that computer technology has in and outside the academe. I never thought of computer interface and technology use as the way to marginalize people.
As I reflected more on what I read in the article and in the blog responses, I began better understand the claims that authors are making, however I do not fully agree with everything. I am very interested in this topic and would like to read additional information eventually.
Reading the article brought me to reevaluate and think about the impact of the assignments that require technology have on my students. I see some of students struggling but never perceived that as marginalization. On the contrary, the competency in technology, in my opinion helps them to be more efficient in the professional and personal pursuits they undertake later in life.
Another connection that I made with the essay is relevance of the computer user age group. I have recently noticed that level of computer literacy significantly differ in student of various age groups. This would be an interesting research topic for the future projects.
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