Surveilled Selves and Silenced Voices: A Linguistic and Gendered Critique of Privacy Invasion in Marie Lu's Warcross

Authors

  • Tuyba Fatima Bhat

    Department of English, Lovely Professional University, Phagwara 144411, Punjab, India
  • Rayees Ahmad Bhat

    Department of English, Lovely Professional University, Phagwara 144411, Punjab, India
  • Ishfaq Ahmad Tramboo

    Department of Communication Skills, Lovely Professional University, Phagwara 144411, Punjab, India
  • Sinoj Antony

    Divine Institute of Media Science, University of Calicut, Thrissur 680309, Kerala, India

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.30564/fls.v7i5.9505
Received: 14 April 2025 | Revised: 20 April 2025 | Accepted: 25 April 2025 | Published Online: 28 April 2025

Abstract

In the contemporary digitized world, the intersection of language, technology, and identity has grown increasingly complex, raising critical ethical concerns. Technological systems—especially those powered by artificial intelligence and algorithmic design—not only mediate communication but also shape, filter, and manipulate language, impacting identity construction and gendered representation within surveillance-heavy digital environments. This paper offers a linguistic and gendered critique of Warcross, a dystopian science fiction novel by Marie Lu, focusing on the NeuroLink system—an advanced AI interface that governs users’ digital lives. Through the journey of Emika Chen, a skilled coder and bounty hunter, the novel exposes how digital technologies operate as both tools of empowerment and mechanisms of control. Emika’s experiences highlight how women’s voices are often marginalized or erased within male-centric technological structures. Using critical discourse analysis, feminist linguistics, and digital ethics, this study examines how language is surveilled, identities are algorithmically reconstructed, and personal data is manipulated. These fictional representations parallel real-world issues such as gender bias in AI, misinformation, and privacy violations. The analysis underscores the urgency of ethical digital design and advocates for inclusive practices aligned with Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) related to privacy, equity, and mental health. Employing a qualitative narrative discourse approach, the study reveals that NeuroLink enforces linguistic erasure and narrative silencing, particularly affecting female users, and positions Emika’s resistance as symbolic of the broader struggle for digital justice and gender-aware AI systems.

Keywords:

Digital Surveillance; Gendered Disinformation; Linguistic Identity; Privacy Invasion; Marie Lu's Warcross

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How to Cite

Tuyba Fatima Bhat, Rayees Ahmad Bhat, Ishfaq Ahmad Tramboo, & Antony, S. (2025). Surveilled Selves and Silenced Voices: A Linguistic and Gendered Critique of Privacy Invasion in Marie Lu’s Warcross. Forum for Linguistic Studies, 7(5), 437–448. https://doi.org/10.30564/fls.v7i5.9505

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Vol. 7 , Iss. 5 (May 2025): In progress

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Article

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Copyright © 2025 Tuyba Fatima Bhat, Rayees Ahmad Bhat, Ishfaq Ahmad Tramboo, Sinoj Antony

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