Will Cyberdecks Change How Women Interact With Tech?
Words: Hatti Rex
Big tech is making life miserable, we’ve all felt it and the recent youth lawsuit against Meta and YouTube has confirmed that the apps have been proven to cause widespread addiction issues. The monotony of everyday devices is proving to be quite wasteful, boring and harmful. At this point we all know those damn phones are listening to us. But that doesn’t mean technology is evil or a waste of time, if anything, it’s more of a reason for consumers and tech divas to take matters into their own hands. Thankfully, the recent rising interest in cyberdecks across TikTok and the wider internet prove that they are.
Having only started watching cyberdeck videos out of casual interest, tech enthusiast newbie Ube Boobey recently struck viral gold on TikTok as her first ever build, a mermaid-themed cyberdeck created inside a thrifted vintage clutch bag, impressively amassed over 1 million views. “I really just had to just pull it out of my head,” Ube explains to me over video, noting how all the online tutorials hosted primarily by men had created their decks from a similar rugged cyberpunk style casing. She was primarily considering using a toolbox. “I was like, girl, what are you doing? Like, that is not your style,” she says, wanting something that made sense with her own visual identity.
But hang on, what is a cyberdeck? Essentially, it’s a DIY tech hobby involving portable computers, often made from e-waste and salvaged goods. The possibilities are literally endless, with people previously making cyberdecks from fast food cartons, vintage phones or old toys like this Polly Pocket compact. Illustrator turned full-time creative technologist Ling Lu created an ‘emoji pager’ for her boyfriend, where she can send her custom pixel art creations including the hilarious side-eye horse at the click of a button. “People miss when their devices felt more fun and personal,” she explains, considering how cyberdecks are a response to the current monotony in technology. “They also miss feeling like they understand and have control over their devices [in context of screen time and algorithms] and building a cyberdeck returns some of that agency to them.” The rise of DIY tech gives her hope, at least in the direction it might take us.
___STEADY_PAYWALL___
They are the antithesis of big tech where everyone has the same boring monochromatic slab for a mobile that stores data about everything that you do, which is the main reason why Gen Z are so interested in older ‘retro’ devices like the iPod. “I didn't have a visual in my mind of what it was going to look like,” Ube adds “That's the thing with cyber decks: it's kind of the design philosophy of smack shit together, make it work, make it yours, and make it messy and just fix it along the way; I think that process is so rewarding, as Hannah Montana said, it's the climb.”
“Just like the people overconsuming physical media in a way that’s prevalent with haul culture, there is a worry that cyberdecks becoming a trend itself will cause overconsumption. If someone is constantly making cyberdecks to appease TikTok, will they actually regularly use all these devices or will they just sit somewhere gathering dust before being thrown out to landfill?”
The cyberdecks on YouTube were either categorised under Doomsday prepping, which include survival guides, offline maps and a radio for offline communication, or for learning advanced network coding, or as a media archive. Yet many on TikTok use them for journaling.“For me,” says Ube, “I'm doing a bit of a mix of doomsday as well as storing all of my important music and photos and movies that I like because I hate having a subscription.” One joy of owning all your own digital media copies on a cyberdeck is that your favourite movies don’t disappear if Netflix decides not to host it one day. Owning and hosting your own offline tech also makes it less likely to be controlled for nefarious means. “Maybe you're someone who wants to rethink their relationship with technology, or maybe you're someone who wants to learn about technology,” considers Ube. “There's just, there's so many reasons.”
In her research, the bulk referenced Cyberpunk 2077 video game or the law of being from William Gibson’s 1984 dystopian novel Neuromancer from where organic life is ruled over by AI entities. “The idea of cyber decks being you're an outcast or you're a rebel, you're an outsider of society and you're trying to stick it to the big man by not not subscribing to over consumption or buying things from big corporations, you use what's around you, and you use waste.”
Obviously, not everyone has access to broken bits of iPad and old hardware, bringing into question class and accessibility. “I think it's also a bit gatekeepy to be like, Oh, well, you bought that new so, you know, it's not really a cyber deck now, is it?” Plus, a lot of the new learners are buying Raspberry Pi to power their creations.
Since posting her mermaid cyberdeck, other girlies have been inspired to repurpose clutch purses into their own cyberdecks. It’s as though seeing this DIY tech in a format that feels more unique to personal styling and the female experience has collectively unlocked something in our minds. Obviously, it’s not rare for gamer girls to already have some tech skills if they’ve previously tinkered with their gaming PC setups but these have obvious influence from Ube’s creation. “I didn't think it would resonate with female presenting people because it was a male dominated field,” Ube explains how her audience is around 70% women and the hugely positive response has warmed her heart. “It does resonate more with beginners and people who are kind of wanting to learn more about tech, I think that makes it more accessible.”
Just like the people overconsuming physical media in a way that’s prevalent with haul culture, there is a worry that cyberdecks becoming a trend itself will cause overconsumption. If someone is constantly making cyberdecks to appease TikTok, will they actually regularly use all these devices or will they just sit somewhere gathering dust before being thrown out to landfill? Often, people are creating their tech from 3D printed casing and items bought from Amazon. “With many trends, as it rises in popularity the philosophy of it gets watered down,” recognises Ube, also recognising how these things aren’t inherently bad within context.
Communities being built through shared interest is really what the internet is all about. Discord host and cyberdeck enthusiast Alexine is chronicling her self-imposed ‘Cyberdeck Build Month’ journey online, inviting others to join along as she creates her first portable cyberdeck for use when she’s travelling. “We’re around 600 people now which honestly surprised me,” Alexine tells me, equally as astonished at how kind and supportive the group is. “There are people from so many different backgrounds, different ages, countries, interests, and it makes the community really interesting.”
Under the ‘add-your-project’ of Lexichat you’ll find cyberdeck shells made from old Polaroid cases, inspo posts references Kim Possible and Totally Spies and plans to create the Mayan calendar in a cigarette box. “People don’t just talk about tech either, they share things about books, skincare, and all sorts.” On X, she revealed her female audience demographic jumped from 11% to 40% after chronicling her newbie journey with cyberdecks. If you’re interested in creating your own cyberdeck, Alexine hosts a handy user’s guide on Github.
