DRIFT Project on Gender Boundaries
project PARTICIPATE‘s Doctoral Candidates Deniz Celikoglu and Giorgia Scuderi had the wonderful opportunity to participate in a non-traditional advisory board meeting for the DRIFT Project on Gender Boundaries: “Drifting and Reaffirmed Boundaries – Young people, gender and body in a digital age,” held at Aarhus University, Danish School of Education. This project, led by Prof. Dorte-Marie Søndergaard and her team, is of immense importance as it delves into the negotiation of gender boundaries in both on- and offline spaces, a crucial area of study in today’s digital age.
The DRIFT Project on Gender Boundaries addresses the way young people engage with social media, examining how changes in technology and society blur old boundaries and create new ones regarding gender and body expression. It also explores how this affects their sense of identity and belonging, highlighting the ongoing negotiation between societal norms and the individual.
Gender Identity and Belonging in a Digital Age
The meeting was organized as a seminar, where each participant had a chance to present their research on gender negotiations and their effect on identity and belonging.
Throughout this two-day seminar, the group explored a wide range of fascinating topics related to gender practices and their intersection with cultural, economic, and political contexts in both digital and analogue spaces. We brainstormed innovative ways for researchers to develop more intersectional frameworks to better understand these diverse practices and identities, sparking new ideas and multiple discussions.
Reconfiguring the Body in Digital Contexts
Material-discursive transgressions and reconfigurations of the body in a digital age: Young people negotiating skin, authenticity, perfectionism, and subjectivity – Penille Rasmussen & Dorte-Marie Søndergaard
Dr. Penille Rasmussen presented her analysis, drawing on empirical data from the DRIFT Project on Gender Boundaries, including digital ethnography, focus groups, and individual interviews with young people. Her research challenges traditional views of the body as a biological vessel and instead conceptualizes it as a dynamic, material-discursive phenomenon that actively shapes identity. The study highlights how digital media influences the formation of body and subjectivity among today’s youth.
Manfluencers and Male Identity Narratives on YouTube
Stories for Boys: A Critical Narrative Analysis of Three ‘Manfluencer’ Podcasts on YouTube – Deniz Celikoglu & Debbie Ging
Deniz Celikoglu presented her work with Prof. Debbie Ging, exploring the world of manfluencer culture and its impact on social media. The study delves into how manfluencers on YouTube construct entrepreneurial identities, examining the gender-specific twists on the ‘rags-to-riches’ narrative. This work offered a thought-provoking perspective on how these narratives operate at rhetorical, ideological, and affective levels, intersecting commerce, politics, and social media.
Storytelling as a Method in Youth Studies
Workshop – Storytelling Session: fairy tales as research methodology focusing on youth analogue-digital becoming – Giorgia Scuderi
Giorgia Scuderi introduced her innovative storytelling methodology, using her original fairy tale, “The Wonderer and the Wizard,” beautifully illustrated by Italian artist Roberto Palmeri. This creative approach served as the foundation for focus groups in her ethnographic study on gender negotiation. The storytelling workshop allowed participants to engage with complex issues like online bullying and digital interactions, highlighting storytelling as a powerful methodological tool in qualitative research on gender and digital space.
TikTok’s Role in Shaping Young Women’s Sexuality
Algorithmized Girlhood: TikTok’s Influence over Teen Girls’ Conceptualisations of Sexuality – Chiara Fehr
Chiara Fehr discussed how young women express sexuality on social media through the lens of platform algorithms. By introducing the concept of the ‘algorithmicized self’ and practices like ‘algo speak,’ she illustrated how technology plays a critical role in how sexuality is both learned and manifested in digital spaces. Chiara also presented her unique ‘TikTok Diary’ research method, which involves screen recording and reflective tasks with young participants, providing insights into the ways identity and community are formed through algorithms.
The Manfluencer Industrial Complex and Gender Politics
Algorithmics Politics, Neo-Masculinist Rhetoric & Mediated Bodies: Exploring the New ‘Manfluencer Industrial Complex’ – Catherine Baker & Debbie Ging
Catherine Baker presented her latest research on the world of manfluencers, co-authored with Debbie Ging. Their work delves into the algorithmic amplification of male supremacist rhetoric via short-form video platforms such as TikTok and YouTube Shorts. These influencers, often adopting a neo-masculinist approach, offer young men a blueprint for confidence, purpose, and control. Catherine’s presentation illuminated how these influencers address themes of mental health, gender politics, and wealth accumulation, building an almost formulaic ‘racket’ that captivates audiences.
Gender Dynamics in Traditional and Modern Contexts
What is the New in the Traditional – What is the Traditional in the New? Gender Negotiations among Young People in 2024 – Frederikke Skaaning Knage
As part of the DRIFT Project on Gender Boundaries, Dr. Frederikke Skaaning Knage presented her work on gender negotiations among young people. She discussed findings from interviews and focus groups with young people, highlighting how they navigate the complexities of gender and sexuality. Her work reveals insights into how heteronormative culture shapes the perceptions and acceptance of queer individuals within heterosexual frameworks.
Gender, Humor, and Alienation in Theatre
Workshop by Kirstine K. Høgsbro
Kristine Høgsbro led a workshop, sharing an excerpt from her play, which uses humor and exaggerated metaphors to explore gender and power dynamics. The play features a man sacrificing limbs whenever he declines extra work, a humorous metaphor for the feeling of alienation, or ‘Entfremdung.’ This element prompted discussions on how humor can challenge oppressive structures, emphasizing that a joke’s impact varies depending on who tells it and in what context. The workshop also addressed how queer communities challenge heteronormative ideas of gender, contributing valuable insights to the DRIFT Project on Gender Boundaries.
Concluding: the Seminar of the DRIFT Project on Gender Boundaries in the Digital Age
As the seminar drew to a close, the lively discussions left us with much to reflect upon. The diverse perspectives each participant brought to the table sparked meaningful conversations over two days, covering a wide array of strategies for tackling pressing issues related to gender, sexuality, intimacy, and body image. The discussions reaffirmed that addressing gender complexities in today’s world requires actively centering the voices of diverse individuals to push the boundaries of existing norms in meaningful ways.
