A corpus-assisted discourse analysis of linguistic transphobia on Mumsnet

[IwantToRetire]

By Aston Institute for Forensic Linguistics

It has been suggested that the forum-style parenting website Mumsnet is a hub for ‘gender-critical’ feminism, which directly opposes transgender rights, to be practised with little moderation (Livingston, 2018). This presentation reports on the initial stages of a project aiming to investigate that the potential intensification of linguistic transphobia on Mumsnet may lead to further marginalisation of transgender people offline (Powys Maurice, 2021). Though studies of non-linguistic transphobic rhetoric on Mumsnet (e.g., Pedersen, 2022; Mackenzie, 2019), and discourse analyses of other radical online communities (e.g., Krendel, 2020) have both occurred, this project is the first to analyse linguistic transphobia on Mumsnet. It also contributes to existing literature surrounding UK-based ‘gender-critical’ feminism; linguistic transphobia; and radical online community discourses.

The presentation explores the rise of potentially ‘gender-critical’ linguistic transphobia on Mumsnet over time through the corpus linguistic (CL) analysis of the ‘Feminism: Sex & Gender Discussions’ board, using three corpora comprising a fifteen-year timeframe: 2008-2013; 2013-2018; and 2018-2023. As the project is still ongoing, preliminary findings will be presented, namely a comparative overview of trends yielded in frequency analyses. Overall, this presentation provides insights into the growing commonality of potentially ‘gender-critical’ feminist rhetoric on Mumsnet and its effect on increasing transphobic discourse on the site.

https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/a-corpus-assisted-discourse-analysis-of-linguistic-transphobia-on-mumsnet-tickets-880795271367?aff=ebdssbdestsearch

(I had just finished my favourite tea time treat of catching up on FWR and was going to get back to the grindstone when this popped up on my feed. So have come back as it is too good not to be shared. Enjoy!)

In my experience the political party socks are so bad at the job everyone ends up unsure which party they are attempting to sock for.

My inherent bias. We all have one. HTH.

Could also include identifying things along the lines of Cambridge Analytica 2.0 seeking to influence the outcome of elections, assorted overseas organisations with a financial interest in encouraging opinions that mean the removal of state funded healthcare free at the point of use, stoking up Islamophobia, encouraging ethnic based violence, etc, etc, etc.

Maybe Andrew Doyle will have another entertaining guest on Free Speech Nation to talk about this exciting work and its implications for freedom of thought and expression.

Maybe AD, Eden Palmer's supervisor (Nicci McCloud) and Prof Tim could conduct the entire conversation in non-linguistic rhetoric. It would be instructive and I'm agog as to how the audience would interpret it.

Perhaps Aston FOLD might offer to send some academics along to MN for a webchat on why they think this is a justifiable use of our data and didn't require our informed consent.

😂

My immediate assumption here is that Aston University is a researcher for Home Office and MI5 projects, including mass surveillance of the population, and the use of AI to do that. I find it extremely sinister. Blanket surveillance, not the investigation of specific criminal actions. The individual students may not know what they're doing, but I'm sure the academics do.

The level of knowledge on here is awesome. I'm pissed: I'm pissed that this type of shit continues. I know some people have mentioned a crowdfund - who's up for it? I will say however I would not be the best to describe what's going on, so any takers? And I'm assuming we would have to put our real names in the crowdfund?

I made an archive of the Archive dot org page on Archive dot PH

https://archive.ph/5TF9p

😃

I will say I am a member of free speech union - I wonder whether they would be interested in this? I can certainly contact them on Monday?

I am Tiny’s sox
(not really, honest guv)

Wonder if my bad humour comes across differently from all the different stages of my life they have harnessed. Mumsnet helped for some really bleak times. Kindness of women helping each other.

I know there were lots of times in the past that this site ‘went down’. Was one of these when the men collected all the data and mumsnet bods detected something on that date in 2021? Can you detect something like that? How do they extract all that data?

The speed at which the content and links were removed suggests that a crowdfund will not be necessary tbh.

Hopefully MN will communicate clearly with Aston re what should happen next. Ultimately the University are responsible.

We also haven't seen this research so we don't know to what extent, if at all, anyone's anonymity has been compromised but I would hope that the student and supervisor will reflect on what they've done and these reflections will be incorporated into the thesis if it's still possible for them to continue given the ethics breaches.

You know who I would really like to hear from
on this subject (not even joking here!) Joshua Moon.

That's very archive meta @KellieJaysLapdog

🤯

Sorry, re the archive of an archive of an archive.

Not sure who moon is ....

He is Null of the Fruit Farm site.

Don't laugh but pleeese can someone explain the socks thing to me. I don't know if it's just an in house MN joke, or urban slang or an extension of the references to biscuits. I looked socks up in the Urban Dictionary and it gave me the following:
Sock

1. An evil race of alien masterminds.
2. A item of clothing for the feet.
3. The thing that mothers dread washing.
4. A low budget condom.

I am none the wiser.

An interview with him here.

Blanket surveillance, not the investigation of specific criminal actions. The individual students may not know what they're doing, but I'm sure the academics do

It might not be intended this way but it would be a tool to eliminate people from employment opportunities and might be useful to people who want to organise opportunities and freedoms along social credit lines.

Sock puppet, A poster uses two or more usernames to have fascinating thought provoking conversations with themselves, stunning all the other posters with their erudition and comic timing.

Or not.

dimllaishebiaith · Today 09:55

I guess offering a biscuit could be considered non verbal?

Oh wow! How can you oppress me so? weep

😀

Thank you so much. I didn't understand this either. 😃

Sock puppets. Two hands from the same person posting regularly.

AHM TAKIN THAT PERSONALLY

I'm just jealous.

I've posted a link to Sarah Philimore, as suggested.

Can I also add (to the PhD student) - if you become a mum, mumsnet IS a mine of information to help you in the future because being a new mum and the responsibility of a little life is daunting. It’s good for putting things into perspective from mums who have had similar things happen. There will be people on here whose PhDs have gone a bit awry too.
As you are probably aware, we often change details (or go between usernames) so as not to be identifiable, particularly when discussing very personal things like medical stuff. Don't know if you have managed to go into mumsnet and retrieve all my usernames in your university’s data collection but that’s the only way you’d be able to absolutely verify if your systems work. And to work out if one person is responsible for posting lots of content that fits your devotions.