Join Dr. Lyneise Williams, Associate Professor of Art History at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, for an engaging exploration of how technology reshapes our perceptions of time, identity, and cultural narratives. People often take aesthetics, appearances, and representations for granted—yet they shape perceptions of power, politics, and success in profound ways. Technology is often seen as a neutral tool, but its role in image-making is anything but impartial.
In this talk, Lyneise Williams traces the evolving representations of Black athletes from the early 20th century to today, beginning with the striking 1927 photograph of Black Panamanian boxer Alphonso Teofilo Brown in Match L’Intran. Examining photography, newspaper printing, microfilming, digitization, and AI, she reveals how technological choices shape and obscure cultural narratives. From sports media to advertising and social media, Williams explores how humanities perspectives can challenge assumptions of neutrality, offering deeper insights into identity and representation in the digital age.
