Rewards + Risks of Public Scholarship
ObjectivES
Survey the many good reasons scholars have for going public with their work, as well as the many good reasons scholars have for being careful about how, when, and whether to go public.
TO Do
Listen to the “Rewards + Risks” and “Ask an Expert” podcasts (either here on the website or through the Storyboard app) or read the transcripts
Check out the slideshow, which gives you an overview of why we think going public is worth it and how to reduce some of the risks associated with public work
Submit questions for this unit’s expert, Dr. Simran Jeet Singh, by 1 March
Select at least one action item from the “Doxx Yourself” checklist and one from the “Social Media Safety” checklist
If you can, check in with your podmates and make a response plan for if you encounter harassment online before 5 March
Review the additional resources as your schedule and bandwidth allow
important dates
(before 1 March)
submit questions for
Dr. Singh
(Before 5 March)
Discuss response plan with podmates
Podcast
Ask an expert: Dr. Simran Jeet Singh
Not a podcast person? Read the transcript!
Office hours with Dr. Simran Jeet Singh
Submit your questions for this unit’s expert, Dr. Simran Jeet Singh, by 1 March. All cohort members should submit at least one question for Dr. Singh.
Slideshow
password: S@credWr1tes! (same as for this section of the website)
Activity: #SmartInPublic RISK Reduction
The internet is never a completely safe space, but we suspect you knew this already. These resources can help mitigate some of your online privacy risks.
Responding in Real Time
No matter what, if you’re being harassed online:
Lock your account / make it private until the harassment dies down. Don’t accept friend/follow requests from anyone you don’t know while you’re locked (but do report and block any suspicious accounts that try to follow you).
Change your social media account passwords.
Treat all threats as credible threats, no matter how ridiculous someone’s username might be.
Report and block harassers on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, etc. and encourage your followers/friends/colleagues to do likewise.
Keep records of the abuse: put the emails/DMs/etc. somewhere you don’t have to see them, but keep them in case you need to file a formal report. Screenshot anything someone else can delete.
Doxx Yourself
Doxxing refers to finding someone’s private information online and making it public, usually with the intent to encourage bad actors to harass or threaten that person. Here’s an explanation of why it makes sense to dox yourself and how to go about doing just that.
Vilk, “How and Why You Should Dox Yourself,” Slate (28 February 2020)
Kozinski and Kapur, “A Guide to Doxxing Yourself on the Internet,” New York Times Open Team (27 February 2020)
This is going to look like an overwhelming amount of information to process, but don’t get bogged down by all the things they’re telling you to do. Just pick one for now — or a couple, if you’re feeling ambitious. Set up a google alert on your name so you know what information about you is being indexed. Check Spokeo to see if your info is listed and ask to have it removed. (Ask to have it removed even if the info’s not current, and don’t forget to go back in 2-3 days to be sure they’ve removed it!) You can always come back to the “Doxx Yourself” list and do more later.
Social Media Security & Privacy Checklists
Kozinski and Kapur, “Social Media Security & Privacy Checklists,” New York Times Open Team (27 February 2020)
Again, there’s a lot to do on these lists! Don’t get overwhelmed. Just pick one thing to do. Maybe update some passwords or start using a VPN (Opera and Windscribe are both good options).
Bonus: Make a Plan
Hopefully you’ll never need to respond to online harassment. But if you do, it’ll be much easier if you already have a plan in place.
Check out this guide to responding to harassment.
Find out if your university and/or department have resources in place to support you in case of harassment or abuse. (They probably don’t, but find out for sure.)
Find out if your professional guild/s have resources in place to support you in case of harassment or abuse.
Arrange to have a friend or colleague monitor your email, DMs, and mentions until the harassment abates.
Additional Resources
If/as you have time, check out these resources before moving on to the next unit. Let us know what you think on twitter (#SmartInPublic)!
Cottom, “Everything But the Burden: Publics, Public Scholarship, and Institutions,” TressieMc.com (12 May 2015)
Stoll and Thoune, “Building a Bridge to Hate? When Fat Studies Goes Public” Inside Higher Ed (29 May 2020)
Truschke, “Hate Male,” The Revealer (14 July 2020)
Goodwin and Morgenstein Fuerst, “Public Scholarship and Representation,” Keeping It 101: A Killjoy’s Introduction to Religion Podcast (27 January 2021)
Baker, “The Costs of Speaking Out,” Women in Higher Education (1 February 2021)
Extra Credit
Check out FemTech’s Center for Solutions to Online Violence. They have resources for those undergoing online harassment as well as for those looking to learn more about the phenomenon.