Chris Wiley's Dissertation Defense

Black trans men navigate digital spaces that simultaneously marginalize them and serve as vital sources of information, community, and identity formation. This dissertation examines digital information practices within sociotechnical systems that structure visibility, participation, and belonging. The study uses semi-structured interviews and Critical Technocultural Discourse Analysis (CTDA) to explore how Black trans, transmasculine, nonbinary, and queer participants curate, share, and interpret information online, while centering the experiences of Black trans men. The theoretical framework incorporates Black ontology, epistemic resistance, and intersectionality to examine how power and exclusion shape information practices and digital participation. The study contributes to scholarship on race, gender, and information marginalization by examining digital platforms as sites of information access, community building, visibility management, constraint, and resistance.

Questions? Contact Sarah Park Dahlen.