Digital Storytelling by Women in Tech Communities

Abstract

Women have found in communities a safe space to learn and develop skills in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics). These groups bring together specific operational and communicational characteristics related to feminist, design and interaction aspects. They share common goals of inclusion, empowerment and education. They are formed by leaders and founders, work team and target audience. One of the strategies for increasing members is the use of narratives by female role models in technology, successful people such as researchers, entrepreneurs or occupants of jobs in technology companies in face-to-face and online events. Testimonials are also present on the digital platforms used by these collectives.

This work aims to present results obtained in a focus group carried out with people impacted by the female community in IT (Information Technology), São Paulo WiMLDS. It was verified that the use of narratives and storytelling strategies in digital environments can become an important catalyst for the achievements of these collectives. This case study, inserted in a context of digital ethnography in online platforms and interviews carried out in this community for two years, in addition to two other case studies (Minas Programam and Geek Girls Portugal), integrates a broad empirical work of an ongoing doctoral research which involved more than 100 female IT communities in Brazil and Portugal. This work will present preliminary results of the potential of digital storytelling in initiatives already formed in the communication and interaction of these groups.