Description
The emergence of mobile- and/or Internet-mediated connectivity allows for greater accessibility to practices that allow for the co-construction of multiple selves and self-representations. The partial-to-full anonymity afforded by digital media provides socially marginalized communities with more flexibility to develop hidden or unexplored aspects of themselves that are difficult or risky to express in face-to-face interactions.At the same time, digital technologies of the self may entail certain vulnerabilities that further constrain the subject to socio-political influence. For example, constant digital connectivity through portable devices—namely, mobile phones—risks the collapse of boundaries separating distinct social selves, inadvertently disclosing certain identities to unintended recipients. Revelations about an identity in one social context may be punished by regulators in another context, possibly provoking greater suppression of the self or avoidance of particular identity expressions. Anonymity amid a culture of surveillance of communities online could also contribute to deindividuated group identities.
We apply an intersectional conceptual lens to the context of transfeminine (17) sex workers in Singapore, whose emphasis on pursuing both digitally enabled economic productivity with bridging of socioeconomic inequalities places it at the forefront of global smart cities. Our research spotlights subjective experiences of trans embodiment, and how subjectivities of transgender sex workers are inextricably linked to their social marginality and the rules of sex work. We find that trans sex workers are strategic in using digital practices to negotiate with, reclaim, and subvert the terms of their marginality.
| Period | 12 Apr 2023 |
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| Held at | Universiteit Utrecht, Netherlands |