tech

Drop the Fry: Judging Elizabeth Holmes’s Voice Comes down to Bias

Elizabeth Holmes, a young white woman with her blond hair in a ponytail, stands in a black turtleneck in a medical lab
by Sadaf Ahsan
October 7, 2019 at 1:56pm
Amazon’s Alexa, Apple’s Siri, Microsoft’s Cortana, and Google Assistant have one thing in common: They all have female-identified voices and names.

Consumer Retorts: Are Anti-Hauls the Antidote to YouTube’s Cult of Consumerism?

by Andi Zeisler
June 18, 2019 at 9:00am
Swapping “whatever you are will never be enough” for “whatever you have will never be enough” is a lateral move at best. Read more »
illustration of a Black, femme-presenting person with a white afro looking towards the viewer with a thin white line running down from both eyes to their mouth.

The Future is Fembot: Can We Change the Direction of Gendered AI?

by Dejan Jotanovic
April 25, 2019 at 9:00am
Artificial intelligence has become an extension of women’s ongoing struggle for well-rounded respect in modern society. Read more »
woman on train platform taking selfie

Ghosts in the Machine: Have We Entrusted Too Much to the Internet?

by Adwoa Afful
April 2, 2019 at 1:02pm
We take for granted that the internet will always remember what we might otherwise forget.  Read more »
collage of American singer-songwriter Selena Quintanilla-Pérez, English singer-songwriter Amy Winehouse, and American rapper Tupac Shakur

Digitizing the Dead is Capitalism’s Next Ghoulish Move

by Chanelle Adams
March 29, 2019 at 9:00am
When celebrities, especially musicians, die, fans rightfully grieve for them, but what happens when mourning marries capitalism? Read more »
Solange's profile page on BlackPlanet.com during the launch of her latest album, "When I Get Home" featuring various thumbnails from her visual album

Here For a Black Planet: Solange’s New Album Sparks Nostalgia for a Pioneering Social-Media Platform

by Adwoa Afful
March 20, 2019 at 12:30pm
Solange’s partnership with BlackPlanet feels like its own homecoming. Read more »
Image of people sitting front row at a fashion show while a model walks by

From Information Superhighway to Digital Runway: The Complicated Legacy of Fashion Blogging

by Adwoa Afful
March 5, 2019 at 1:39pm
In its own way, fashion and beauty blogging is as aspirational as traditional fashion media. Read more »
a white man stands in front of a large screen that says move fast and break things in orange

Unzuck Your Life: A Post-Facebook Vision for Online Organizing

by Adwoa Afful
February 19, 2019 at 2:05pm
The rent on Facebook is just too damn high. Read more »
Illustration of Reddit's Relationship subreddit

The Weird and Wild World of Reddit Relationships

by s.e. smith
February 14, 2019 at 7:55am
It’s not surprising that people turn to the internet for relationship advice. Read more »
teenager looks at the clouds and oceans

Online Challenges Hit a Sour Note for Queer and Trans Communities

by Jill Kamler
January 23, 2019 at 3:25pm
I was overwhelmed with the memory of my old image. Read more »
Screen shot of smiling red-haired woman next to the words "Describing: Sign Language Tutorial

Reclaiming Hysteria: Disability Advocates Have Embraced YouTube—But the Feeling Isn’t Mutual

by Kate Averett
January 7, 2019 at 3:02pm
Demonetization and algorithm bias can dramatically affect the income that disabled creators stand to make. Read more »

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