Cool technology for girls, pervs.
Posted: December 6th, 2010 | Author: Erica | Filed under: Human/Computer Interaction | Tags: Barbie, camera, feminism, Girls in Gaming, video | 1 Comment »We discovered Video Girl Barbie while Xmas shopping, and she hit CNN this morning. The FBI is concerned about the idea of videocameras in little girl’s bedrooms.
I can see why kids and cameras are not really a comfortable fit, but I was more
- impressed that a piece of technology was geared at girls becoming content creators
- happy to see video editing software as part of the package—a great opportunity for girls to experience learning interfaces, crafting ideas, storytelling, and using new hardware
- interested in the idea that digital natives are growing up with video as a normal part of their lives—making it, performing in it, and (of more ambiguous effect) instilling the notion of having “a public” from a young age
- excited that media literacy and communication skills are becoming fundamental in play.
With Zappos upping the bar for video in job applications, these are skills I’m happy to see normalized for girls.
And hey, I’ll be speaking at Girls in Gaming at Sisler High School next week about being a digital artist and giving the girls some feedback on their work 
I’ll see what they think of Barbie.
