2026.Feb.25

EVENTS

The 6th BAIRAL Research Meeting for Fiscal Year 2025
“Negotiating Masculinity in the Age of Algorithms”

◇BAIRAL（B’AI RA League）
BAIRAL is a study group by young research assistants (RA) of the B’AI Global Forum of the Institute for AI and Beyond at the University of Tokyo. Aiming to achieve gender equality and a guarantee of rights for minorities in the AI era, this study group examines relationships between digital information technology and society. BAIRAL organizes research meetings every other month with guest speakers in a variety of fields.

◇Date & Venue
・Date: Monday, March 9, 2026, 17:00–18:30 (Japan Time GMT+9) / 9:00-10:30 (Sweden Time GMT+1)
・Venue: Online via Zoom（No registration required）
https://u-tokyo-ac-jp.zoom.us/j/84466062494
Meeting ID: 844 6606 2494
・Language: English

◇Guest Speaker
Ms. Amanda Persson, Doctoral Student in Information Studies at the Department of Arts and Cultural Sciences, Lund University (Sweden)

◇Abstract
My research seeks to develop a deeper understanding of the ongoing negotiations of masculinity that emerge at the intersection of content from the so called manosphere, algorithmic recommendation systems, and young cisgender men’s information activities on social media platforms. I focus on boys and men living in Sweden and examine how they engage with content that promotes essentialist, heteronormative, and misogynistic ideals of masculinity across platforms such as Instagram, TikTok, YouTube, and Snapchat.
In my lecture on March 9, I will discuss how algorithmic recommendation systems today actively contribute to shaping young boys’ and men’s understandings of masculinity in Sweden, highlighting the dynamic interplay between these systems and users’ everyday information activities.

 ◇Organizer
B’AI Global Forum, Institute for AI and Beyond at the University of Tokyo

◇Inquiry
Amaël COGNACQ (Research assistant of the B’AI Global Forum)
bai.global.forum@gmail.com