hello world!

i'm kate. i'm originally from canada, but am also an undercover kiwi. i'm doing my phd at curtin university in the internet studies program, with the lovely helen as my advisor:) i'm still working out my thesis topic, but it will most probably be on the design of social software and how it influences the culture that evolves around it, but also how the cultural/political/economic environment around it informs the design of social software.

before starting my phd i worked at an ngo in canada for youth and social change called TakingITGlobal, where i did online community stuff.

i dont explicitly write about cyberfeminism or feminism, but those angles are definitely implicit in my work, especially since im a geek grrl. i'm always thinking about gender roles and ideology when i'm thinking about things, such as how gender is performed through software design choices (even just the choices we have in what gender we which to say we are is political!) also, i think as any woman who works in technology you have to be a feminist (overtly or not) because the "interesting" experiences we get to have that, sadly, tend to other or alienate us.

i also keep my own blog at http://oceanpark.livejournal.com cuz i <3 livejournal;)