The Missing L

Very recently one of the women, "L", who agreed to take part in this project pulled out. At first it was a little disheartening, to have waited many weeks in the hopes of an answer only to be left with none; it seemed like a bit of a failure in my project. And though her intentions had always been those of the best, I felt as though my project would be lacking without her presence.

However the reasons she gave felt genuine, and the lack of answers actually got me thinking a lot more about the overall themes of this practical project. Yes, my main concern at the start was always to attempt to tackle the narrow parameters of which women were included in specific fourth wave projects, but in the way I'd gone about conducting researching for this project (relying on email as well as face to face interviews) I had in turn placed my project into the crossfire of the benefits and letdowns of the internet itself. It occurs to me that maybe so many of these Fourth Wave publications are short lived because despite the immediacy that the internet provides, behind all the profile photos, emails, tweets and facebook messages people are still just that; people.

People have lives; they have routines and insecurities and busy schedules. And while an email or message can be sent and received instantaneously with anyone around the world, if the human at the other end never opens it, does the benefit of the internet even exist?

Despite "L" not answering the questions, I'd still quite like to include her in the project. Her lack of answers rise up important questions about connectivity and the utilization of the internet as a means to communicate with one another. I had expected something of "L" I was sure she could have given me because it's something I myself would have found easy. In the process of investigation and a need for results I guess I'd forgotten that this is something that may not be easy for many people. This turn of events has gotten me thinking about the purpose of my project overall. It's something I've been struggling with and while the idea of it being used as an educational tool did appeal, I'm starting to wonder if it's appropriate for what I'm trying to communicate. If this is truly to be a project about these women's realities, why can their freewill to not give answers be included too? This is definately something I want to take the time to consider.