Issue 41

the Week of September 6, 2016

In this issue, we explore the harmful myths around affirmative action in the tech industry, and critique Western bias in the mainstream tech press. We look at the politics and workforce behind professional brands, and chat with a new, women of color-led startup about building accessibility culture. Plus, being bisexual in tech, and the impact of constant plagiarism on marginalized students. Photo CC-BY Aleksandar Cocek.

Photographic implementation of the "ghost writer": blurred, near-transparent hands hovering over a keyboard.

The Invisible Female Workforce Behind the Social CEO

"Thought leadership" involves a far vaster and more complex labor system than first appears.

by Alina Heim

A lone student walking across a brick walkway, outlined dramatically by rows of stairs in black and white.

Nobodies to Everybody: How Plagiarism Pervades Marginalized Students

Any contribution I make will either be ignored or exploited to sell their idyllic, inactive intellectualism.

by Fallen Matthews

Tech, Affirmative Action and The Lochte Effect

Wage gaps and hiring discrimination persist despite the fact that most large corporations have affirmative action and equal opportunity policies.

by Anonymous Author

Series of multi-colored globes in a pile.

“The App You’ve Never Heard Of”: Exploring Western Bias in Tech Media

If an app isn’t developed firstly for the Western market, tech press suggests its success isn’t worth knowing about.

by Archana Madhavan

Building Accessible Tech and Culture: Interview with The Women of Transcribe Online

"We’re hoping it can change lives as well as movement and organizing work."

by Alice Wong & Katie Klabusich & Raquel Hosein & Wagatwe Wanjuki

Large sculptures of dandelions beneath a bridge, surreal in a fading light.

Bisexuals in STEM Need Support and Representation

I still can’t see myself in role models or dream jobs.

by Emily Cobbs

Recent Issues

A flock of sheep trots towards the camera; one sheep in focus against a hazy background of other animals.

Issue 40

Policy, reporting and moderation strategies on global social networks. The challenges that marginalized people with ADHD face in startup culture. Plus, the physical risks of tech work, and a creative essay on bad startups.

Architectural drawings for a panopticonic prison. Radiating cells from a center surveillance tower. Via photographer: "proposed prison at outram in 1880s by colonial engineer JFA McNair. unbuilt or unbuildable."

Issue 39

We explore exclusion in blockchain tech, and look at feminist applications of drone technology. Plus, a two-part feature interview on worker's organization and unionization in Silicon Valley.

Issue 38

We explore the impact of trauma in the workplace, and look at issues of attribution, ownership and appropriation around social media hashtags. Plus, a community discussion about tech activism and burnout.

Photo of the Monkey Head Nebula: looks like large, intricate and beautiful billows of smoke against brilliant stars.

Issue 37

Designing better user interfaces for people facing anxiety, how video game studios leverage downloadable content, and one technologist's journey as a Black mom in the industry. Plus, a critique of the movement against online harassment.

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