girls vs. guys on the internet

[TerraFrost]

Kinda an interesting read. I don't want to spoil anything, though, so have at it :

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/02/21/fashi ... =permalink

[Drazo]

Who cares if more girls or guys run the internet? I hate boasters of sexist factors.

On the point that many girls on the internet do own a own site or blog (or both); Belkana, ChatOmbre and Catgirl all have/had a blog (and Chat has/had a site) and those three girls make up at least 50% of FJ's female population. Of course I believe there's several more female members here but most of them never post anymore (go back a few years at least). But I don't think 3/4+ from here is a good example, not just because it's a small number but also because we're all pretty 'geeky' anyway.

But saying that you know what's common between those three girls? They're all intelligent, unlike the average western girl such as the 'essex girl' (including 'chavs'), 'rednecks', 'teenyboppers', etc....and of course, those who are computer illiterate and 'newbies' (even if they are becoming rarer).

[Catgirl]

I hardly think that article is fair, as it doesn't look at the main gender differences. Girls are by nature chatty and social, a blog/podcast/etc. is just another outlet. Boys, at least in my experience, are not nearly as prone to creating a site just for the social aspect, they're either selling something (webmaster services, etc) or they have a site merely because people need to "get ahold of" them. It isn't, like the article seems to say, because males don't have the patience. I know more than one guy who designs web pages as a second source of income.
Also, in this era nearly EVERYONE is online, and fact is, there are more males than females in existence. Whether this is due to the stupid ones dying while carsurfing down the highway or some genetic default, it's hard to say. However, divide the population in half, or assume that every person is online, the percentage of female users will still be greater.

[TerraFrost]

I hardly think that article is fair, as it doesn't look at the main gender differences. Girls are by nature chatty and social, a blog/podcast/etc. is just another outlet. Boys, at least in my experience, are not nearly as prone to creating a site just for the social aspect, they're either selling something (webmaster services, etc) or they have a site merely because people need to "get ahold of" them. It isn't, like the article seems to say, because males don't have the patience. I know more than one guy who designs web pages as a second source of income.

The article sorta addresses that aspect of it:

Rather, some scholars argue, girls are the dominant online content creators because both sexes are influenced by cultural expectations.

“Girls are trained to make stories about themselves,” said Pat Gill, the interim director for the Institute for Communications Research and an associate professor of gender and women’s studies at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.

From a young age they learn that they are objects, Professor Gill said, so they learn how to describe themselves. Historically, girls and women have been expected to be social, communal and skilled in decorative arts.

That said, I do think you make a good point about patience. The fact that person A is more patient then person B when it comes to some task doesn't mean at all imply that person A is going to be more patient then patient B in every task. I think it's all just a matter of personal interest. If you're interested in it, you're going to be patient with it. If not, you're going to be impatient.

[Catgirl]

*cough* guess that part didn't make an impact on me, thanks for the quote. So I guess the article did a fairly good job of addressing how the sexes USE the internet.

"From a young age they learn that they are objects", that bit annoys me, probably because its unfortunately true in a lot of instances.

[Roadkill]

Broad study, and it is unfortunate in its truth -- just like the internet can be flooded with angsty 5th graders who think skipping letters and substituting numbers is cool, it also attracts the talkative and trendy sex. Both are curbed by online criticism.

I've learned from experience -- social sites are acceptable because they only paint a broad picture of a person. "Blogs" and such about one's personal life and ideas can very easily cause tremendous and unnecessary drama.

Rule of thumb: keep ideas between you and yourself, and maybe a close friend.

One thing I wish would translate was the technology factor -- creating new technology versus merely using it. But, eh... we all have our roles to play.