Processed Lives

the long version

Processed Lives analyzes the interrelations of gender and technology. It considers how the terms of gender are embodied in technologies and, conversely, how technologies shape our notions of gender. The contributors explore the complex territory between the lust for technology and the fear of technology, commenting particularly on the ambivalence women experience in relation to machines. Discussing topics such as embryonic fertilization, the virtual female, networking women, the sexuality of computers, the inexact science of gender, surveillance systems, UFOs, contraceptives and the emancipation of Barbie, Processed Lives asks the question, who actually benefits from technology? Combining text with over 70 images and illustrations, Processed Lives: Gender and Technology in Everyday Life offers a broad, provocative, visually rich and playfully critical approach to the multifaceted relationships between masculinity, femininity and machines, now and in the future.