Talk

Gem Barrett

twitter site

Gem Barrett is an open web activist, developer and gamer. She found "love at first function call" when trying her hand at Javascript during an unemployed period in her design career six years ago. Gem's relationship with coding is linked to her obsession with correct spelling: "if your code doesn't have consistent spelling, then it fails - if only the world worked like that".

Since then, Gem has run her own web development business, expanded her skills to iOS software engineering and worked on high-profile projects for Volkswagen and Unilever. Currently based at the Open Technology Institute in Washington DC, Gem was selected last year from 560 global applicants to become one of the first six Ford-Mozilla Open Web Fellows. She has also recently started studying towards her Masters degree in Computing with a specialism in Information Security.

Gem is usually found being opinionated on Twitter, taking down zombies, or experimenting with code.

Washington D.C. January 30, 2016
Using bots to improve humanity
Some examples of micro-aggressive language including sexist, transphobic and ableist words and phrases.

Publicly challenging micro-aggressions online is an exhausting and stressful responsibility, particularly if you are a member of a marginalised group. In an effort to reduce the pressure on these groups to take on such a responsibility, online community leaders are beginning to use of bots in areas of community communication. From correcting ableist language in Slack channels to explaining the meaning of "cis" for the millionth time on Twitter, automated responders are being used to deal with the draining work of improving community members' knowledge and vocabulary.

This talk will focus on the usage of bots in online communities, analysis of why they are generally successful and the related technical challenges involved in their creation. In addition to drawing on examples in open-source communities and Twitter, I'll also discuss their potential use in further anti-harassment measures and other ideas for their future expansion across gaming and technology. By the end of the talk, attendees should not only have an understanding of how these bots work but also be inspired to create their own bots for improving humanity, both in their own communities and beyond.