OII Pride Lecture 2026 “Twink Death – A Deep-dive Into the Sociotechnical Relationship Between Ageing and Queerness Online”

People’s relationship to ageing is often complex and situated in intimate social rituals that make our transfer into different life stages more manageable. Online personas and the way that we are perceived by others often force us to relinquish control of these rituals and succumb to labels placed on us through online discourse, that we may otherwise avoid. The pseudo-stereotype of “Twink Death” in internet meme culture is one such application of the imposition of such labels and a lens for this discussion. This talk explores our relationship between ageing online and labelling in predominantly queer spaces and our sense of control and autonomy over who we present ourselves as online.

Dr Ewan Soubutts is a Departmental Lecturer at the OII, specialising in Human-Centered Computing and Digital Health. He also holds Honorary Research Fellow at positions at the UCL Interaction Centre and Bristol Interaction Group in the UK. Ewan studies the intersection of technology within and between age groups in society, looking at how people provide support that is mediated via digital communication tools like smart speakers and wellness apps, allowing for individual and collective understandings of technology adoption, digital health and care challenges (such as life transitions) and information acquisition over the internet.

Thanks to Lucas LaRochelle who presented “Dissociative Worldmaking”as part of the 2026 Pride Lecture. This talk was not recorded.