Southern Indiana Business July-August 2020 | Page 7

that played a role in women’s suffrage.
The Library of Congress states: “The National
American Woman Suffrage Association and the
Women’s Political Union produced several films
in which suffragists gracefully balance civic
engagement and family drama. The growing
popularity of moving pictures placed the suffrage
movement, as well as deeper questions
about the role of women in society, directly in
front of audiences of all kinds.”
These movies were combatting newsreels
and dramas from opposition to women’s suffrage.
The library notes that suffragettes were
portrayed as violent and militant in these moving
images, a familiar brush that seems similar
to today. They were also painted as uncaring
of their children and abusive of their husbands.
This tech battleground for women’s suffrage
wasn’t limited to moving images. Sound
recording technology also evolved in the 1910s,
according to the library. In fact, we can actually
listen to songs pushing forward the movement
on streaming services, like Spotify. The “Songs
of the Suffragettes” album features tunes like
The Taxation Tyranny, highlighting how women
must pay them but don’t get a ballot. Or there’s
the duet “Winning the Vote,” where a woman
convinces a man of their cause.
It’s easy to always look forward into the future
when discussing and dissecting technology. But
grappling with the past can give us a better
understanding of the present and what’s ahead.
Without a doubt, we’ll continue to evolve alongside
tech. The question becomes what types of
movements there will be over the next 100 years
that seize on new communication toolsets.
Just think: Facebook and Twitter were originally
mindless distractions. And now, they’re
shaping mass mindsets on humanitarian issues.
So you might check out TikTok for a laugh currently.
But that app could be a driving force for
major change before we know it.
— Evan Campbell is a freelance writer who
covers video games, movies, TV shows and tech.
He’s also a former copy editor at the News and
Tribune.
July / August 2020
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