Girl Online 🎀 Symposihmm #1

Performing as a girl online can be a powerful way to subvert the algorithm. And thanks to the whiplash of the girlboss epidemic, a meeker and cute self-image is now taking hold. Trends like girl math, babygirl, and girl dinner reflect a tendency across genders to self-infantilise, a growing resistance to industrialized understandings of adulthood, often tied to economic strains and shifting life expectations, particularly amongst younger generations.

At the same time, the notion of girlhood itself is being questioned, reframed, and adopted in online spaces. As AI isolates our feeds even more by sorting us into predetermined categories, labels influence how we’re seen—and how we see ourselves. With machine learning gradually influencing more of our daily lives, how will our online actions and self-understandings change as a whole?

Afternoon programme — 14:00 – 17:30

Today, we often make ourselves small online. Where the girlboss of yesteryear was on her grind to “have it all”, we now see a trend of shirking traditional resposibilities: we’re just girls, don’t expect us to cook a full meal every night (girl dinner) or be financially literate (girl math). This trend of self-infantilisation is being embraced by men as well, who are posting about their boy apartments instead of man caves, well into their thirties. In a series of short talks and a panel discussion, we’ll explore online self-infantilisation. What is at the root of this phenomenon? And what are the benefits of this tactic?

With Maya B. Kronic, Mela Miekus and Mita Medri, and more…

• 14.00 – 15.30, Workshop — Ink your Online Identity
  • Explore the history of online identity and investigate digital self-presentation. Then design and apply temporary tattoos, reflecting critically on the digital self.
• 14.00 – 15.30, Reading group
  • Collective reading session delving into selected passages of Tiqqun’s text “Preliminary Materials for a Theory of the Young-Girl”. No prep needed!
• 16.00 – 17.30, Panel — Self-infantilisation

౨ৎ Break ౨ৎ

Evening programme — 19.00 – 21.30

Online, ‘girl’ is less a gender than a strategy—playful, ironic, and vulnerable behavior performs well under the algorithm. For this part of the program, we’ll explore ‘girl’ as a marketing tool, a power move, a form of desire, and a proven formula for online success. But is this strictly a product of today’s media environment, or does it echo earlier representations of girlhood? And what does the future of the girl look like in a world shaped by neural media?

Expect a keynote lecture from K Allado-McDowell, an interview with Martine Neddam, a performance by Mireille Tap, and much more…

📅 Date: Friday 16 May 2025
🕗 Time: 14.00 – 21.30 CEST
📍 Location: SPUI25, Spui 25-27, Amsterdam, and online.
🎟 Tickets: Various categories from €7,50 to €27,50. Student and livestream tickets available ✨

Feel free to reach out to us at info@thehmm.nl for some solidarity tickets we have available.

Can’t join us in person in Amsterdam? Or just want to watch from the comfort of your laptop or phone? This event is hybrid so you can also buy a ticket to join Girl Online via our livestream website.

♿ Accessibility note

SPUI25 is located on the ground floor, there is a threshold at the door that staff are happy to help with. Unfortunately, there is no accessible toilet. During the event we can provide live closed captioning for those with hearing impairments and disabilities. Please reach out to us if you are joining on-site and have this access need, so that we can reserve a seat for you within view of the screen with captions. If you are joining online via our livestream, live captioning will be available as one of the streaming modes.

🎀 Girl Online is a full-day programme hosted by The Hmm, a platform for internet cultures, taking place across SPUI25 and University of Amsterdam locations on Friday 16 May. Expect talks, performances, workshops, and more. This first ever Symposihmm will dive into girl trends, self-infantilisation, girl as a strategy in digital spaces, and the future of girlhood. It is part of This is who you’re being mean to, The Hmm’s broader 2025 year theme, exploring gender expression online.

💙 This programme is kindly supported by the Creative Industries Fund NL and the Netherlands Institute for Cultural Analysis, and made in partnership with University of Amsterdam Media Studies and Institute of Network Cultures.