Leopoldina Fortunati
November 7th 2002, Montegrotto, Italy

The body of machines, their physical form, is being transformed more quickly than their software. In this process there is a tendency for the bodies of machines to become more like software, to become either coloured or transparent and to become less mineral and more biological and sensitive.

Looking at adverts of some examples, Leopoldina noted the soft keyboard that had been developed, the mobile phone connections built into clothes such as jackets, the arrival of brightly coloured mobile phones (one example styled like woman’s make-up box), the transparent iMac and the disposable paper mobile phone (with a credit card inside and hour’s worth of calls built in, marketed in the US for $10). We could see these processes in the design of adverts as well, one Mototrola advert comparing mobile phones to oysters (symbolising the mobile is like a pearl inside the oyster). Other adverts also fuse technologies and the world of nature in this way.

In these ways we could also argue that the body of machines is becoming more feminine (if we contrast this with the masculine connotations software, the ‘mind’ of the machine). But this masculinity and femininity is not to be simply confused with real males and females. Both men’s and women’s relationship to the mind is masculine while at the same time we see a feminisation of the human body as both males and females concern themselves more with the aesthetics of the body, trying to build an attractive body for themselves, as seen in the growth of cosmetic surgery, dieting and the use of body creams. That interest has historically been associated with female interests.

Why specifically are the bodies of machines becoming more feminine? It may be to do with a combination of the stronger presence of women in society, the fact that women now have more money to spend and so are a more attractive market, or because most machine buyers and users are still men so these changes are aimed at making technologies more attractive.

What we might call these ‘soft machines’ can also be seen as being an intermediate stage to making ICTs disappear. For example, machines in general become smaller and lighter. We talk of the disappearing computer as computing power finds itself in other technologies, in walls, in clothes and even inside the human body. This is an attempt to eliminate substance, to eliminate the body of machines, to eliminate the feminine.

Leopoldina then presented some other examples relating to her theme. One was the Samsung mobile marketed at women (with the advert referring to ‘things a man can’t have’). The phone was a red lipstick colour and also had functions which reminds users of their diet, provides information on developments in the latest soap opera instalments, and reminds users of the period when they are fertile. So it is designed for women, but obviously it relies on stereotypes of women’s interests. She also showed an advert of the clone — the emblem of the ‘biological machine’.

In a sense, technology had run into a block in the domestic sphere – once standard domestic appliances had been established, we now only have ‘gadgets’ (the Internet-fridge, domotics/the smart home). In fact, women still use less ICTs than men. How should we interpret this: as a form of backwardness, as merely reflecting a delay (with males as pioneer users, and women will catch up later), or as a form of resistance or hostility to ICTs — or as a lack of interest. What ICTs can offer is arguably not so suitable for women. Technologies do not automatically lead to a saving of money or time for women — in fact, they often require the expenditure of more time and money (e.g. in learning how to use them). And contents have not been developed with women in mind.

Research in classes teaching women about the PC/Internet showed that it was hard to find uses that would interest women. Women are generally less interested in Internet entertainment (games, pornography). E-mail and some forums are attractive (e.g. relating to healthcare, recipes).

But we should note that in some countries women nowadays have a higher level of education than men (e.g. in Italy) — which implies that the fact that they use ICTs less do not automatically lead to educational disadvantage. This should make us think about the relationship between ICTs and knowledge or learning — these relations are now unclear (despite public claims that ICTs help learning, about the danger of being ‘left behind’ if you do not use them etc).