A feminist guide to the past, present and future of computing

Giigi's Nails. Source: Pinterest

My first computer was gifted to me by my mother. A talented computer programmer herself, she preferred I learn programming than memorising multiplication tables at school. Almost two decades later, as I researched and wrote my undergraduate thesis on the history of information systems and the effective role of computing, I realised something. All the literature that I was reading around the advent of AI, communication theory and cybernetics came from a limited demographic; most of whom were privileged persons identifying as male and from the Global North. Take a list of the top 10 richest billionaires and you might hardly see a difference.

Growing tired of this landscape of information, I began actively seeking out voices of women who were writing and building in the technology space. I delved into the history of technology, and I realised that the role of women in computing is more profound than it may seem. Ever since Ada Lovelace who was regarded as the first programmer, to the female programmers of ENIAC and the present AI ethics and data science experts like Joy Buolamwini, Timnit Gebru (and many more) there are incredible women who are shaping the narrative of the technological industry.

Album art cover for Women in AI - (Design by Swarna Manjari)

While scanning the web for equivalent memes and parodies on feminist computing, I stumbled upon a gem of an ad. This satirical take on women in technology shows a computer model called Petticoat 5.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z0fJNDOHYp4

The twin guides to computing

As I read more, I was left inspired by the critical outlook that women brought to the current developments and the way they articulated the boons and banes of emerging technology. In an attempt to compile some of it and reveal a lesser known story, I decided to make a zine - It would be called: A (feminist) guide to the past, present and future of computing. The zine would show the history of computing technology through a chronological timeline. It would also reflect the evolution of power, design and zeitgeists through the years since the very first analog computer that was discovered in Greece called Antikythera.

The need for a feminist guide could only be made visible by the existence of another story; the one we all hear often. Thus, I decided to make a pair of zines - they would be called 'the twin guides to computing'. And to further reiterate the difference, they would be printed on a different colour of paper. Everything else would be the same - the parallel panels, the layout and typefaces. The stark contrast would enable the retelling of the forgotten story.

Purchase link to zines! - https://url.dm2buy.com/

(Currently shipping only within India)

A (feminist) guide to the past, present and future of computing. The lesser known story. Designed by Swarna Manjari

A guide to the past, present and future of computing. The well known story. Designed by Swarna Manjari

The parallel and simultaneous panel based storytelling would highlight the differences in key ways - places where women have been missed out on and other places where they have played a key role. In order to accommodate the storytelling structure, many key women have not been included yet and I wish to create expanded and extended versions of the feminist guide for future editions.

The advent of AI; Contrasting panels in the twin guides.

Folded view of the twin guides.

Presented at WTDA.io, a tech and art festival centred around our collective relationship with technology, the zines encouraged discussion and debate around key areas. I found myself agreeing and disagreeing with many points as the flow of viewers around the exhibit fluctuated; some engaged, some added onto and some listened. The overall experience was incredible as I received thoughts and opinions from people who had a keen interest in shaping narratives around tech discourse. I also launched the print editions of the twin zines for sale, and had the pleasure of saving the last pair for myself. A female participant also mentioned that I should price the blue zine higher than the pink one, as an ode to the gender pay gap in the tech industry. I happily obliged and the feminist ones sold out soon. People who came to know of the fair online reached out wanting to know more about the zines and how they could purchase them. In order to fulfill these wishes I am releasing a second print edition of the 'twin guides to computing' online!

Those who want to visit the url store can head over here - https://url.dm2buy.com/

Apart from the zines, there are additional fun stuff like stickers and charts for sale :)

(Currently shipping only within India)

And those who're interested in taking the discourse further can email me at swarnamanjaric@gmail.com .

Happy reading!

And, as usual, here's your list of cool resources.

cool resources

Women in Computing

CyberFeminism Index, by Mindy Seu

A Collective Booklet for Computational Women, by Soyun Park (crowdsourced through Google Sheets)

Archive of Lost Mothers, a speculative project by Ambika Joshi a.k.a. computational mama

A ‘Feminist’ Server to Help People Own Their Own Data, a project by Design Beku, featured on The Bastion

Narratives in Tech

Resisting Deterministic Thinking, by Danah Boyd

On Data

The Myth of Objective Data, by Melanie Feinberg for The MIT Press Reader

Data not found, a collection of datasets that couldn't be found on data portals