Från teknokultur till digikultur - En teknofeministisk diskursanalys av digitalisering inom kulturarvs- och kommun- och regionsektorn

Abstract

This master thesis explores the way digitalization can be viewed as both as an enabler and an obstacle in society. Focusing on two projects, Digisam and Digitaliseringsindex, I employ a techno feminist approach analysing overarching digitalization discourses and how they influence the digitalization of cultural heritage and municipal services.

Digisam's journey highlights the transitional nature of digitalization. It shifts focus from technical problem-solving to addressing complex social and organizational challenges in digital preservation, emphasizing the need for adaptive digitalization methods in the cultural heritage sector. The Digitaliseringsindex project, measuring digitalization at municipal and regional levels, raises concerns about the objectivity and relevance of measuring, particularly regarding gender-based dynamics and their effect on data collection and analysis. A techno feminist analysis reveals a tendency to isolate technology from its social context, risking the perpetuation of gender power imbalances within digitalization practices. Adopting a techno feminist viewpoint reveals how both projects lack critical reflection on how gender and power structures intersect with and shape digitalization processes.

The analysis highlights the underrepresentation of women in IT and digitalization, raising questions about whether digital solutions serve the entire population, and how both projects are affected by the digitalization discourse of competition, prioritising technological advances over inclusive societal advances, potentially distorting the goals of digitalization.

Future research should explore how ensure equitable digitalisation benefits, examine long term social consequences of current digitalization trends and cultures and how to include more intersectional methodologies in digitalization strategies and practices.

A techno feminist lens can guide us in challenging underlying assumptions, leading to a more equitable and inclusive digital future.