It’s easy for those of us who don’t spend our lives constantly exposed to Twitter to deride “hashtag activism” as slacktivism, but there’s no denying that some hashtags have had tremendous power as a unifying cultural force, whether that impact be positive—as was the case with the #YesAllWomen conversation in the wake of the Isla Vista shootings—or negative, as with the ongoing harassment and abuse linked to the #GamerGate “movement.” I’ve been watching the frustrated, frightened reactions of ordinary gamers to the sheer volume of toxic energy pouring out of the #GamerGate tag, and watching the various attempts at pulling together some kind of response. There’ve been attempts at direct opposition, like #StopGamerGate2014 and #GamersAgainstGamergate. There’ve been attempts at blowing off steam through mockery, like #TweetLikeAGamergater and my own #TweetLikeNotYourShield and #GamerGateIsWorseThan. But the most inspiring hashtag has been the counter-“movement” of #INeedDiverseGames, which has simply its own movement firmly standing for progress, inclusivity and diversity within gaming, in opposition to the reactionary message of #GamerGate without directly engaging it. I sat down (through a Google Hangout) with the creator of the #INeedDiverseGames Twitter hashtag and associated Tumblr community.
Posted on: Tue, 23 Dec 2014 12:40:20 +0000
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