Unbias the Internet: Replace Gender Identifiers on Web Pages
Unbias the Internet is a free Chrome add-on developed by Stuart Horner that aims to remove gender identifiers from web pages. This add-on replaces gendered language with gender-neutral terms, highlighting the pervasive influence of gender in media and challenging the unconscious biases we may have. By installing this extension, users can experience a fundamental shift in the narrative of media stories, particularly in the realm of entertainment. Content creators, curators, and consumers alike may not even realize the gender biases they operate with until they see the words they use being replaced with neutral alternatives.
With Unbias the Internet installed, written sexism becomes nearly impossible as gender-specific words like "man," "woman," "brother," and gendered pronouns are replaced with neutral terms such as "human" or "sibling." While this extension does not alter pictures, which play a significant role in web rhetoric, the accompanying discussions, when framed without gendered words, quickly reveal biases and double standards.
Unbias the Internet opens up the potential for technology to reshape rhetoric and challenge implicit biases. By stripping away gender identifiers, this extension forces us to reevaluate our most implicit xenophobias. Escape mass media's most sexist and oppressive narratives with Unbias the Internet.
