Online Othering: A Cyberfeministic Visual Reading of the Movie Unlocked Directed by Kim Tae-joon

Abstract

Films are entertainment and powerful tools to educate people about certain critical issues and advocate for change by activating the audiences toward social commitment. In the postmodern world, films address the omnipresence of digital technology and the incredible change it has brought to our lives. Films have embraced the cyberworld to address and challenge the existing perspectives and ideologies regarding gender. Interconnectivity and access, one of the primary benefits of digital technology, have provided man with a vast space to reconstruct their identity by breaking social barriers and gender stereotypes. This utopian version of digital technology can be questioned through visual media by exposing the hegemonic practices in the cyber world. On study, it can be revealed that women are made vulnerable and victimised when the patriarchal structures in society get disseminated through cyberspace. This paper attempts to analyse how films address this issue of online othering and gender divide through the Korean movie Unlocked directed by Kim-Tae joon. The concepts associated with cyberfeminism like "Gendered Online Identities and Performances," "Gender-Based Digital Divide," and “Online Othering Discourse” are used to analyse the film.