CYBERFEMINISMS FOR THE NEW CENTURY: CYBERFEMINIST DISCUSSIONS BETWEEN 1997 AND 2001

Abstract

Between 1997 and 2001, the cyberfeminist collective Old Boys Network (OBN) organized three Cyberfeminist Internationals. The main aim of this article is to define the evolution of the cyberfeminist thinking during these years. In order to do this, I analyze their three correspondent publications. Through a first quantitative analysis I find the main discussion topics, and its frequency. Later, through a qualitative comparative analysis, I describe the evolution of the previously found topics. I conclude that, contrary to previous historical approaches, which divide cyberfeminism into two defined waves, its evolution was gradual, with parallel diverse responses to main debates such as the definition of the term, its political subject, its relationship with feminism, among others. OBN, more than a turning point, was an ongoing path between a first initial cyberfeminism, and all its later ramifications. The publications also witnessed the growing concern about a progressively commercialized and controlled internet.