“Technology is neither good nor bad; nor is it neutral”: the impacts of a technology need always be viewed in context and need always be analysed from both immediate and long-term perspective (first of Kranzberg’s laws). Seemingly benign or even beneficial inventions can have lasting negative effects, and unintended uses of simple technological solutions may have transformative impacts on whole societies. Digital technologies are no exception to this rule. The “Gender, Technology & Power” conference aims at a critical analysis of the empowerment as well as disenfranchisement that digital technologies bring to different actors and groups, with a special focus on intersectionality. The questions that we want to tackle are: What power asymmetries are hidden in digital technology? What hinders or enables empowerment through technology? What new critical interpretations of the datafication processes are emerging? How do platforms shape discourses or determine decisions that affect different groups and communities? What new narratives can inspire the rise of fairer technological systems and algorithms? What possibilities can digital technology offer for equality? What digital practices challenge gender discrimination and social inequalities?

The congress follows the success of the first edition that took place on June 17-19, 2024 in San Sebastián-Donostia, Spain.