Influence, Authenticity, and a Gendered Algorithm

Social media promises visibility and connection, yet these systems amplify some voices while silencing others. In this Media Literacy Week lecture, Dr. Elizabeth R. Ortiz ’01 explores how digital platforms reward certain performances of femininity and “authenticity” while constraining how women and other marginalized creators show up, speak out, and share their lives online. She invites us to see media literacy as a way to resist, redefine, and reclaim visibility in these systems built to keep us scrolling.