TransDigitalSpaces

Online counterpublics are a huge part of the lived experience of being queer, but what does it actually mean? #onlinecounterpublics #digitalcommunities #trans #queer #nonbinary #phdstudent #fyp #queerbsky 1/13🧵TL;DR vid ⬇️

...and in the technical structures that grant users space beyond the ciscentric expectations of digital and physical design.

In Part 2, we’re looking at the multimodal ways trans youth learn in these online counterpublics, and how these concepts tie into my PhD research for the TransDigitalSpaces project. Leave a like or reply with what you think, and check my bio for the sign-up link and ISO survey!

Online counterpublics, however, allow for pseudonymous and experimental profiles. By pulling away from IRL networks, users can establish safe places to ask questions and explore learning collaboratively, without risking exposure to transphobic hostility.

The digital spatial separation of an online counterpublic can be seen as two-fold; in the socialising that happens there, as a response to the (un)safety of the wider digital and physical worlds...

They described Facebook as a local "pub" monitored by family and offline peers, whereas Tumblr functioned as a "chi-chi bar", and Reddit could be seen as a "club" where everyone exists together anonymously.

Because mainstream spaces like Facebook prefer a singular, authenticated performance of self, they inversely restrict those who embrace non-mainstream identities, as mentioned in my videos on Trans Technologies.

And because mainstream search engines systematically prioritise sensationalised representations of trans lives, navigating the open internet brings a minimum requirement of digital literacy just to protect oneself as a gender non-conforming person.

To account for this, trans youth in Jenzen's creative workshops in Brighton have described mapping digital architectures of social platforms to learned perceptions of risk and safety, comparing their social media ecosystems to physical neighbourhood spaces.

So, what makes an online counterpublic special compared to the rest of the internet? In Jenzen's words, most mainstream social media is built on "cis-coded online paradigms".

I.e, platform architectures like profile customisation, search algorithms, and commercial content policies that default to ciscentric expectations. Simplified examples could be that your name is only spelt this way if you’re a girl, a boy’s profile colour is always blue, etc.

We’re looking at a sociological concept that might be familiar: the idea of an online counterpublic. In her 2017 study on trans youth, Dr Olu Jenzen, a media studies researcher, continued to build on Michael Warner’s work to define a counterpublic as a parallel discursive arena.

These are specialised, collective digital spaces where marginalised groups can go to form oppositional interpretations of their own identities, interests, and needs.

The preliminary interest check survey + sign-up links are currently live; links in bio! 👀🫶➡️ The rest of the upcoming research plans for the TransDigitalSpaces project ⬇️ Next video: cis-centric bias in digital architecture 🌐 #trans #nonbinary #phdstudent #transbsky #transtwt #queeracademia

My first Research Dialogue is open; the link is in the LinkTree in my bio! Along with some more details on the rest of my PhD research plans for the Trans Digital Spaces project 🤗 Please share around to anyone interested in Trans Research! #trans #nonbinary #transresearch #phdstudent

How do trans people continue to learn and teach in a world where information keeps changing? In Pt 1, I covered Connectivism as a learning theory where learning happens via networks of information. Now we're thinking about how it applies to TGNC communities. 1/11🧵TL;DR vid ⬇️

But even with those considerations, for the purposes of my PhD journey, I'll be using Connectivism as an underlying theory, knowing that this style of learning is what happens often intuitively in trans communities.

If + when things go to plan, I will soon be launching my PhD data gathering for TGNC communities through a series of surveys, public forum exercises, livestreams and interviews/focus groups. Next video will be about scheduling and how to take part. Follow to see what comes next!

...while others think that it lacks in identifying risks and limitations, such as the chance of accidentally creating an echo chamber of incorrect information.

This, therefore, can create the effect where knowledge is co-constructed across flexible boundaries, which is very close to one of the principal tenets of transness, as written by Haimson in Trans Technologies.

None of this is to say Connectivism doesn't have its critics; other authors have argued that some of its principles are already covered by other learning theories...

In the four learning modes covered by Agentic Learning - modelling, supporting, informing, and responding - you could think that these modes represent how individuals form learning networks from a Connectivism standpoint.

Going back to the digital discussion, educational theorist Christine Greenhow has written on the idea that social media can act as a bridge between formal and informal learning.

To add more depth to the discussion, we can say this isn't just a theory of learning, but is a common cultural norm in some communities. Thinking of trans and queer digital spaces, there are some of the clearest examples of Connectivism learning networks happening all the time.

In previous clips, I showed a paper on how trans youth use Agentic Learning to learn and navigate their own identities away from mainstream media bias.

Why is the ability to find information sometimes more helpful than what you already know? I'm studying learning in Trans Digital Spaces, and in this thread we're talking about how learning is theorised to happen. Today I'm writing about #Connectivism. 1/9🧵 TL;DR vid at the end

So, Connectivism shifts the focus from what the learner currently knows, to the learner's capacity to know more. This might seem intuitive or obvious to some people, but Connectivism was one of the earlier theories that put the idea of learning through networks in a published paper.

Watch this thread in video format here! Sources for talking points are shown as well. In Part 2, I'll be looking at how Connectivism’s networked learning is a foundational part of trans and queer digital communities, and how it competes in traditional classrooms and literature.

As a result, we have begun to learn through the act of knowing where to find the information, instead of manually holding on to all the information inside our heads. This is where Dr George Siemens’ theory of Connectivism comes into play, which he first presented around 2004/05.

Connectivism suggests that learning is a self-organized process of creating and traveling through networks of “information nodes”. These nodes can take many forms, like other people, data from books or websites, or digital social spaces.

Constructivism suggests that we build internal meaning from experience. So when you learn to cook a new dish, you learn how to make it better by remembering how you did it before and then experimenting each time to change how it tastes.

All three of these previous theories share a base assumption: that learning is primarily an internal, individual activity. But in a digital society, there's often a practical limit of how many things we can learn, and how quickly we can relearn when information becomes outdated.

A learning theory is a conceptual framework that describes how humans build and retain knowledge, a.k.a. how we learn. Before Connectivism, the big three learning theories were Behaviourism, Cognitivism, and Constructivism.

Behaviourism focuses on observable behaviour changes, so the famous example is Pavlov's dog. Cognitivism models the mind as a computer processing information. When you break down your exam revisions into chunks so it helps you remember it better, that's Cognitivism.

23 Aug

Part 2 of how learning can occur in trans spaces! Kennedy, N. (2021) ‘Agentic learning: the pedagogical implications of young trans people’s online learning strategies’, doi: 10.1080/14681366.2021.1912162. Please let me know what you think of my format btw 🥹 #trans #translearning #fyp #transbsky

22 Aug

How learning can happen in trans spaces! Kennedy, N. (2021) ‘Agentic learning: the pedagogical implications of young trans people’s online learning strategies’, Pedagogy, Culture and Society doi: 10.1080/14681366.2021.1912162. Part 2 coming tomorrow :D #transgender #transresearch #queer #transbsky

20 Aug

Sharing some trans research today: ‘Tumblr was a trans technology: the meaning, importance, history, and future of trans technologies’, Haimson et al. 2019, Feminist Media Studies, doi: 10.1080/14680777.2019.1678505. Part 2 already up! #trans #transacademia #fyp #queerbsky

20 Aug

Pt 2 of sharing some published trans research: ‘Tumblr was a trans technology: the meaning, importance, history, and future of trans technologies’, Haimson et al. 2019, Feminist Media Studies, doi: 10.1080/14680777.2019.1678505. #nonbinary #academia #fyp #queerbsky #transbsky

9 Aug

More info on the goals of my PhD, to improve learning experiences for TGNC learners. Next video (hopefully): Tumblr was a Trans Technology (Oliver Haimson, 2019). #trans #nonbinary #fyp #academia #phd