"Multiliteracies for Inclusive Technologies: A Case Study on Location-Based Services and Domestic Violence Survivors"

Jennifer Roth Miller

Jennifer Roth Miller is a student in the Texts and Technology Doctoral Program at the University of Central Florida. Jennifer's research interests explore the convergence of philanthropy, social justice, education, corporate social responsibility, and cause-based marketing in socially constructing collective views on issues such as technology, lifestyle, health, and community.

Contents

Abstract

Introduction

Location-Based Services & Privacy

Location-Based Services & Privacy Cont.

Domestic Violence Survivors & Geolocation: A Case Study

Digital Literacy Possibilities for Domestic Violence Survivors

Digital Literacy Possibilities for Domestic Violence Survivors Cont.

Potential for Rhetoric & Composition

Works Cited

Potential for Rhetoric & Composition

This case study suggests a link to the field of rhetoric and composition as an important point of contact to foster not only functional literacy skills, but also critical literacy skills in new generations of college students. Additionally, rhetorical literacy skills are important to develop as students move along in their studies and become working professionals who will shape the future (Selber, 2004). Much of the way students as forthcoming professionals will influence the future is through the production of products, many involving new technologies. Since freshman composition is a first point of contact for many students, it is the perfect setting to develop these multiliteracies that will apply to every student no matter their major.

Fostering these multiliteracies provides significant opportunities for social change because these students will affect the future through their professional work and as critical technology consumers. Collectively refusing to engage with unjust technologies will cause them to either evolve to become fairer or fade away in a capitalist society. Additionally, composition teachers have an opportunity to promote peer discussion and consideration of the rhetoric of digital technologies.

Location-based services are an example where rhetoric is implicitly built right into technologies and interfaces we unquestioningly utilize. The technologies offer many benefits, especially when they appeal to our psychological needs to be accepted and liked and make our lives easier. Many students naively buy into what these assemblages of technologies offer. This is concerning because this student age group, 18-35, is also at the highest risk for crimes greatly enabled by sharing location information such as sexual assault, stalking, intimate partner violence, harassment, etc. (RAINN, 2009). While this is just one case study, and the particular topic won’t affect every student, teaching critical literacy skills to consider the politics of technologies is important for all technology users. Citizens armed with critical and reflective literacies may also be able to initiate consumer-driven solutions to these issues since legislation is lacking. For example, with critical literacy, consumers may refuse to use applications, sites, or services that do not have fair or well-articulated privacy policies.

In conclusion, location-based services on smartphones retrieve and supply relevant information to users, and at the same time they retrieve and supply information about users to the network. Values, beliefs, and politics advancing geodemographic business models are discreetly built into smartphone, application, and social media interfaces. Identity construction and participatory culture are leveraged to increase the pressure to participate. This case study on the impact of geolocation services on domestic violence survivors revealed the importance of muliliteracies on several fronts in shaping just and inclusive new technologies. Beyond functional digital literacy, critical and reflective literacies provide opportunities for negatively impacted populations such as domestic violence survivors to protect their privacy and remain safe despite mainstream rhetoric implicit in location-based services on smartphones. Rhetoric and composition teachers also have an opportunity to affect social change by fostering these same multiliteracies in future generations of users and professionals. By arming forthcoming professionals with multiliteracies, they will be well positioned to critically unpack the politics of emerging technologies and enhance them with reflection. In addition, as everyday users of technologies, students can critically and reflectively select which technologies they want to utilize.