Tag Archives: online discourse

Preface

On September 30, 2015, the American Studies Journal published its Occasional Paper No. 10, entitled “Rape as Spectator Sport and Creepshot Entertainment: Social Media and the Valorization of Lack of Consent.” The author, Kelly Oliver, is the W. Alton Jones Professor of Philosophy at Vanderbilt University. Drawing attention to recent cases of rape on American college campuses, she shows how cell phones and social media have been used to prolong the humiliation of the victims, giving rise to a culture of voyeurism that no longer hides its contempt for women.

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Words Left Unspoken: The External Forces Shaping Online Discourse

This article examines how various aspects of US politics and culture may define the boundaries of transnational online discourse. The argument presented focuses on two general categories by which these dynamics may emerge, namely systemic and agential factors. Systemic limitations include language, codes and protocols, algorithms, and parameters set by media specific terms of services. Agential factors are tied to specific sets of political and economic interests, legal frameworks or cultural norms, as well as individual forms of human agency involved in content moderation.

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