Critical Annotated Webliography by Carrie Chan

Question 1
Cyborgs are hybrid entities that are neither wholly technological nor completely organic, which means that the Cyborg has the potential not only to disrupt persistent dualisms [in language and thought] … but also to refashion our thinking’. (Balsamo). Drawing on current scholarly work, discuss ways in which the Cyborg is still a transgressive figure.


Cyborg is not something only associated with the science fiction. It is not something widespread only in the fantasy anymore. With the rapid technological development, cyborg is existed in many categories and interpreted by different scholars in different ways. From the articles examined in the following, we can see how different scholars view cyborg as a transgressive figure in different aspects such as sex, gender, identity.

1.)Cyber Gender by Jennifer Breen

The article examines how the way the people think about gender change with the emergence of the Internet cyborg. The author described himself as a forerunner of using the computer at the time much earlier before everyone had a home computer. She used the BBS (Bulletin Board Service) which is the predecessor of the Internet. In the article, he described himself as a cyborg with his close relationship with Internet when he has used it for communication, education and leisure purpose.

The author recognizes that the identity is transgressed by the Internet cyborg. She stated that “the internet identity you create might be an extension of yourself, but you too become an extension of that identity.” In the real world, there is no way for the people to change the identity with our gender, age, social class, etc. In particular, she argued that gender is a type of identity which people will commonly change it online. With the Internet cyborg, it is fairly easy for the people to change the gender multiple times a day. She put the example of the online game World of Warcraft which the female players in the game can be actually male in the real world, vice versa. She suggested that the gender is no longer static and unchanging and can be easily transgressed by Internet cyborg.

2.)Internet Cyborg by Ted Kaiser

Similar to the article Cyber Gender, this article also focuses on the study of the Internet Cyborg. However, it gives a more comprehensive view on the development of Internet Cyborg and the “old” types of cyborg. The author recognizes several categories which define cyborgs: Art, Media and Language, Communication and Tools, Machinery.

Next, the author cites the examples of car, phone which emphasizes how they are as a transgressive figure. First, the car extends the people’s legs, the physical space between locations are reduced. The physical space is transgressed when drivers can go everywhere with their cars. For phone, the social space between the people has been diminished as the phone can reach anyone without the face-to-face communication.

More importantly, the author points out that not only the physical space and social space are transgressed by Internet cyborg. There are several characteristics of the Internet cyborg which further guides the development of the Internet cyborg’s identity. Firstly, the creativity developed by the cyborg can let the users create their own identity through the webpages, online albums, video recordings, etc. Secondly, with the interactivity characteristic shown by the Internet, the content of the Internet is created by browsing, chatting, filling forms which facilitate the creation of the identity. With the power of imagination and expression, the Internet cyborg is connected.

3.)Cyborgs in the Gym: The Technopolitics of Female Muscle by Krista Scott-Dixon

The previous two articles examine people becoming a cyborg when they have linked themselves with the technological products such as Internet, phone, cars, etc. However, Krista gives an entirely different view on cyborg by not only linking the technology with the human but she emphasizes the built-in technology in the human body.

She focuses on the bodybuilders and examines how cyborg transgresses the boundary of natural in body building. She identifies two types of bodybuilders: the non-competitive and competitive bodybuilders. For non-competitive bodybuilders, they manipulate their bodies through training, diet and nutritional supplements. On the contrary, competitive builders refer to those who are using more substantial hormonal and dietary manipulation. In particular, the breast implants is the best example in showing the transgression of the natural boundary. Although the implants are using “natural” content, it is inorganic and not blended with the organic body. Another contradictory example is Anabolic-Androgenic Steroids (AAS). AAS is a class of steroid hormones which result in an increase of cellular tissues, particularly in the muscles. Unlike the breast implants, the content of steroids is purely “natural” as it is already presented in the human body. But the manipulation and application of AAS on different genders show the transgression of gender in bodybuilding.

With the technological development in the bodybuilding aspect, a hybrid of machine and organism may appear not only in the science fiction but also in the real world.

4.)Cyborg by Jessica Santone
The title does not give any clue at all about what the author want to express her view on cyborgs. But indeed, this article is entirely different from all other articles. Along the line in the history, cyborg creations are always a positive increase to human body and thus increase its capabilities. But on the other hand, as suggested by Mary Sheller, cyborg can be also act as a monster when it evokes the sense of anxiety in our society.

So, the two dominant types of cyborg appear: a re-conceptualized human body or machine-controlled monster. There is a confusion of the boundary between human and machine. Some argue that the human nervous system still has a control over the “development” of cyborgs. It is believed that the virtualization of sense perception is under the human nervous system control. But the cyborg can be also “constructed as a way to reconfigure identity and to extend the possibilities of a human without body, a body without organs.” So, an interesting question is raised, does cyborg totally transgress the “human”?

5.)Cyborg futures: Cyborgs, Cyberpunk and the future of the body by Daniel Pimley

It is time to consider the future of cyborgs. The author stated that as the scholar Haraway and Gibson argued that the biology and technology is the forces which are unable to co-exist. But with the rapid development of technology, it is the fact that distinction between human and machines is going to diminish in the future. But the author argued that when the cyborgs transgress too many borders at once, there are still polar oppositions existed: culture or nature, biology or technology.

Another view is the convergent forces of the human biology and modern technology. As the author stated that the science fiction author J.G. Bullard once argued that “the overlay of technology, communication, design and commerce onto every aspect of modern life has changed the nature of our everyday experiences, thoughts and fantasies.”

Finally, the author believed that we will be in a post-gender and post-body society, and eventually a final stage of abandonment of biology. He quoted the saying from Haraway that people will not afraid of their joint kinship with machines.
Cyborg is now proliferating in our society. In terms of the gender, identity, sex, the traditional boundaries are being transgressed by Cyborgs. More importantly, even the human identity is transgressed by the Cyborg as suggested by Jessica Santone. So, we have to think deeply about how the future relationship will be built between machines and human.

References

1.)Daniel, Pimley (2003), ‘Cyborg futures: Cyborgs, Cyberpunk and the future of the body’. http://www.pimley.net/documents/cyborgfutures.pdf. Assessed 26th February, 2009

2.)Jennifer, Breen (2007), ‘Cyber gender’. http://www.cyborgdb.org/breen.htm
Assessed 27th February, 2009

3.)Jessica Santone (2004), ‘Cyborg’ http://csmt.uchicago.edu/glossary2004/cyborg.htm
Assessed 1st March, 2009

4.)Krista Scoot-Dixon (2008), ‘Cyborgs in the Gym: The Technopolitics of Female Muscle’ http://www.mesomorphosis.com/articles/scott-dixon/cyborgs.htm
Assessed 1st March, 2009

5.)Ted Kaiser (1999), ‘Internet Cybrog’. http://articles.halfempty.com/media/99-04-11.htm
Assessed 25th February, 2009