Digital Gender Hub

The research project Digital Gender Hub. Gender, Differences and Representations in Digital Society highlights two issues that our University has been emphasizing for some time: that of gender issues - increasingly central to contemporary socio-cultural debate - and that of new digital technologies - which relentlessly reshape the media spaces and scenarios with which we come into contact on a daily basis.

On the occasion of Pride Milano, we asked the heads of the research project, Professor Maria Angela Polesana and researcher Elisabetta Risi, to answer some questions about the goals of the Digital Gender Hub.

What is the Digital Gender Hub and what are its main goals?

The Digital Gender Hub (DGH) aims to be a point of reference for researchers and lecturers at IULM University, who deal with the issues of gender and media, particularly digital, as well as the connections between gender, culture and technology, with particular attention to equality in education and access to job positions.
The DGH's pivotal goal is to set up a network both in the University and outside of it, with a view to cultivating fruitful relationships with other universities as well, both Italian and otherwise. Other objectives include organizing seminars and meetings for discussion, not only academic, but also involving citizenship, companies, and schools; promoting and supporting theoretical and empirical research projects, basic and commissioned.
Through the initiatives promoted by the Digital Gender Hub we would like to bring to light some stereotypical images of gender, in the media and in society, often made opaque by the habit of setting up a certain type of representation, and thus make people aware of the socio-cultural construction of gender, in which the media - particularly digital media - play an inevitably relevant role.

Why is it important to study the combination of gender and digital today? How does the Digital Gender Hub intend to address gender representations in digital content?

Addressing the binomial "gender and digital" is of paramount importance today since the existence of contemporary individuals now takes place seamlessly between offline and online, to the point that we speak of onlife precisely to emphasize the state of continuous connection they experience. The identity of individuals is thus also the result of representations of the self within digital spaces, understood as discursive spaces in which the roles associated with gender and sexuality play a central role and are affected by shared imaginaries (often characterized by traditional gender stereotypes and scripts), as well as by the logics of platforms driven by algorithms often influenced by training data that reflect the gender inequalities present in society.
The analysis and study of gender representations, from different disciplinary perspectives, are important to understand how certain images - especially posted day after day on social media - can influence social relations. This analysis is essential to promote greater equality of different gender identities and to challenge and transform harmful narratives that perpetuate discrimination and inequality. -

The role of algorithms in perpetuating gender bias is a central theme. How does the Digital Gender Hub aim to study and address these "gender biases" embedded in automated content generation systems?

The role of algorithms in the perpetuation of gender biases is central because these systems influence a wide range of decisions and content in our daily lives, from social media suggestions to human resources recruitment processes. Addressing these biases is crucial because algorithms underpin both social media and in emerging generative artificial intelligence platforms. If algorithms are trained on data containing gender biases, they can replicate and even amplify these biases, leading to discriminatory outcomes. Machines do not have "thinking" capabilities, so even behind ChatGPT are advanced algorithmic models that grind massive amounts of data. Relying on data that identifies and falls people into a category - female caregiver, poor migrant, male doctor, etc. - allows these models to look for correlations and generate outputs that are the product of social dynamics and power relations.
If action is not taken to identify and increase citizenry awareness of gender biases in algorithms, we risk "taking for granted" existing inequalities, fueling new forms of discrimination. The DGH is activating research projects, meetings and dissemination initiatives aimed at exploring these issues, fostering critical thinking and cognition of how technology is not neutral, but must be problematized if it is not to re-produce gender-based social inequalities.

What is the importance of a project like the Digital Gender Hub at a university like IULM?

The mission of IULM University is not only research and training of students, but also continuous interchange with the business world and the city, or rather the citizenry. IULM has never been an isolated entity: through numerous initiatives, it has established a lively and fruitful dialogue with the local area as well.
Developing a project such as the DGH therefore means playing its full educational role by helping not only its students but the whole community to become aware of the role that the current digital spaces of public life (social media, Metaverse), actors (users and social media influencers), repertoires of action and media discourses play in the construction and development of representations of gender. The reconstruction of the representation of gender-related issues in digital cultures, at a delicate moment in the institutional debate (national and international), with respect to gender, intends to form the basis for actions aimed at fostering greater awareness and opinion on these issues on the part of the scientific community, citizenship and the business world.

A conference dedicated to gender culture will be held in October. What topics will be covered and what results of the Digital Gender Hub will be presented at this occasion?

The conference, titled "Gender Cultures. Multidisciplinary Conference on Gender Cultures," will take place over two days, namely on October 23 and 24, 2024. Among the topics that will be covered are: analysis of the role of media, with a focus on the digital media ecosystem in the legitimization or subversion of gender representations and roles; the study of gender from the perspective of strategic diversity management in organizations; analysis of the role of statistics in understanding the gender gap; and images of gender in the arts, theater, film, etc.

The publication of this interview coincides with the week in which Pride Milano will be held. What is the Digital Gender Hub's message on the occasion of this event?

Pride is a relevant public event that claims the rights of LGBTQIA+ subjectivities and every gender identity. It is important to consider gender as a social construction, which has a performative character: the Digital Gender Hub, through the multiplicity of voices of the scholars who are confronting this issue, intends to promote an inclusive culture, an approach that works to overcome the stereotypical representations that are still present within seemingly innovative communication spaces, including digital environments.
The message that the DGH wants to launch on the occasion of the Milan Pride is to spread and cultivate critical thinking with respect to gender issues, trying to work together (and interdisciplinarily) in the direction of an education for openness and coexistence, in order to build a just society and as such a sustainable one because it is inclusive of different gender and sexual identities.