Abstract
There is a growing interest in the notion of "digital safe spaces" in Information Systems research. Digital safe spaces are spaces where participants feel safe to express their thoughts, feelings, and identities without fearing prejudice, violence, or hatred. Research has focused on understanding different mechanisms needed for protecting and designing these spaces to make them safe(r). However, only some studies have engaged in a deeper analysis of what happens inside digital safe spaces and the potential transformative effect of participating in one. This paper explores an annual event for women interested in video game development called the Women Game Jam⎯a space designed as safe mainly by and for women. Our research shows that entering and engaging in a digital safe space can be a transformative experience. By turning to the feminist and critical literature on territories, we found that digital safe spaces allow its participants to, on the one hand, “deterritorialize”⎯ that is, disconnect from a territory to form new connections in a new one⎯ as well as "reterritorialize"⎯ that is, redefining their identity in a new territory. We add to the literature on digital safe spaces by exploring this transformative experience.
Recommended Citation
Ruiz, Nadia and Selander, Lisen, "DIGITAL SAFE SPACES AS SPACES OF DE- AND RETERRITORIALIZATION: EXPERIENCES FROM THE WOMEN GAME JAM" (2024). 15th Scandinavian Conference on Information Systems. 8.
https://aisel.aisnet.org/scis2024/8