I'm not a fourth wave feminist. Here's why.

I don't surf social movements, just the internet.

Just kidding.

What are the first, second and third waves of feminism?

In 1902, women in Australia gained the right to vote. This was first wave feminism.

In the 1960s and 70s, we took gender stereotypes and turned them on their heads. For the first time in modern history, we were recognised as more than our titles 'caregiver', 'mother', 'sister', 'cleaner'. That's what we call second wave feminism.

But – you guessed it – the fight for equality was far from over.

In a word, third wave feminism is 'intersectionality'. In another word, it's 'privilege'.

Are you gay? Bi? Chinese? Muslim? Poor?

Some of the above? Or perhaps none of the above.

The fight for equality transcends the clickbait headline that more CEOs of ASX 200 companies are named John than are female (ABC News). It's more than ensuring our next female Prime Minister is measured on performance and not her choice to not have children. It's the bigger picture. It's the continued, collective act of acknowledging that a girl or woman isn't defined only by her gender. She also navigates a society that provides opportunity based on wealth, class, sexuality, ethnic background or religion – and can take it all away.

I am not a post-feminism feminist. I am the third wave. – Rebecca Walker

We're in the fourth wave of feminism. Or are we?

Beginning in 2012, fourth wave feminism centres on the meteoric rise of digital media and its role in promoting equal rights and access to opportunity. In the fourth wave, women and men continue to advocate against sexual harassment in the workplace, for portrayals of strong women in TV, film and books, the right to have autonomy over our own bodies, against domestic violence and so much more. In short, weighty causes that women have been fighting for for a long time.

So I'm not sold on the fourth wave just yet.

Why?

Technology is an enabler. It speeds things up. It has the power to facilitate mindboggling experiences like a shark in our living room or discovering the lyrics to that song that goes 'ring the bells that still can ring' just because you're curious. The internet can also be used by humans for harm, like when trolls vilify others in the comments section.

What technology can't do? Create a social movement. Change begins with the person who makes a stand, not a computer. In the case of feminism, technology is a tool that we deploy to spread like wildfire the stories that girls and women have to tell à la Zora. Nothing more and nothing less.

Our current rate of change is rapid. It's unprecedented. But we'll never move so slowly again.

Does the phrase "fourth wave feminism" provide utility?

While I'm yet to be convinced of the academic merits of defining a fourth wave of feminism, the interplay between digital media and the fight for greater equality sparks some interesting intellectual questions.

The first challenge that springs to mind concerns the newest darlings on the block: AI, machine learning and deep learning.

How do we train algorithms to not be sexist?

As we've seen, traditional hiring practices in Australia and other western countries favour names that sound Anglo-Saxon over Middle Eastern and Asian names (World Economic Forum). There are more Jameses and Michaels combined than there are women in 2017's cohort of top-grossing-film directors (NY Times). Even professions that traditionally skew female – such as nursing, caring and teaching – are more likely to have men at the helm of the organisation (ABC News).

But women make up a scant 22% of AI professionals (EY). In the male-dominated software sector, that may be higher than expected but it's still not enough. It's not enough to combat the exigent bias in historical data sets that has shown men to be more likely to succeed in the workplace. The empathy of male software developers does not and cannot replace the lived experiences of those who have learned to survive, even thrive, despite the odds.

Teaching machines to not discriminate is just one challenge that will arise as computing power increases and AI becomes more advanced.

Will you engage critically in this new battleground of ideas? Will you rise to the challenge?

This article first appeared on Medium.