Profs & Pints DC: Gender in a Digital World

Profs and Pints DC presents: “Gender in a Digital World,” a look at how technology influences our understanding of gender and health, with Michelle R Kaufman, social psychologist, associate professor at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, and scholar of gender and sexuality.

[Advance tickets: $13.50 plus sales tax and processing fees. Available at https://www.ticketleap.events/tickets/profsandpints/digital-gender .]

The digital world is both supporting and challenging gender equality in profound ways, many of which might surprise you. Come hear its influence discussed in depth by Dr. Michelle R. Kaufman, who researches how gender, sexuality, and other factors contribute to disparities in various measures of public health, including mental health and interpersonal violence, in the United States and elsewhere around the world.

Drawing from her global research, Dr. Kaufman will show how digital tools affect real people and how people think about gender and health. She’ll discuss the impact of social media movements like “Me Too” and shed light on the hidden biases in artificial intelligence. You’ll learn about research on the impact of Instagram and other social media platforms on body image and on how male attitudes can be shaped by video games.

Turning her attention to how such research is conducted, Dr. Kaufman will discuss the use of phone surveys and chatbots to gather sensitive information about gender-based violence, and what that means for privacy and trust. You’ll learn how studies often leave out data on women or those with minority gender identities, and why it’s always crucial to ask: Who is counted in our digital systems, and who is missing? (Doors: $17, or $15 with a student ID. Listed time is for doors. The talk starts 30 minutes later.)

Image by Canva.