Lunch at 12:30pm, talk at 1pm, in 148 Fitzpatrick

Title: Digital and Historical Exclusivity in Feminine Linguistics: From Nüshu to Xiaohongshu

Abstract: In the evolving landscape of human communication, exclusive spaces have emerged as a powerful tool for marginalized groups, particularly women. Drawing parallels between the ancient Nüshu (women script) and modern tagging on the social media platform Xiaohongshu, this study examines how women have historically crafted unique communication spaces for unfiltered dialogue, free from external judgments. While inclusivity remains a societal ideal, exclusivity, as demonstrated by strategies like the “baby feeding” tag, can serve as a protective mechanism against deep-rooted gender biases. This research underscores the lasting need for such spaces, revealing the intricate balance between inclusivity and exclusivity in fostering genuine discourse. It further calls for future explorations into the dynamics of language style, user auditing, and digital exclusivity, emphasizing their implications in our digital age.

Bio: Ruyuan Wan is a PhD student at the University of Notre Dame. Standing at the crossroads of HCI, NLP and Social Computing, she is passionated about exploring the intricacies and nuances of communication dynamics in the evolving digital landscape. She is driven to decode how humans and machines (AI functioned tools) communicate, collaborate and sometimes conflict, and how these patterns can be harnessed to address pressing societal challenges.