Gender, Writing, and the Web:

Gender, Writing, and the Web: Considerations of web use, web navigation, & fan avatars Dr. Jennifer L. Bowie For Gender and Writing March 27, 2008

Overview • Internet and web use • Sex & gender differences in web navigation • Harry Potter fan avatar recent research

Image from “Internet: The mainstreaming of Online life” Pew Report http://www.pewinternet.org/pdfs/Internet_Status_2005.pdf page 60.

Image from “Internet: The mainstreaming of Online life” Pew Report http://www.pewinternet.org/pdfs/Internet_Status_2005.pdf page 61.

Tool vs Toy? • Men play with technology, women use it as a tool (Barnum 370) • According to Kantrowitz • Males see computers as a “male-machine bonding thing” (like cars), are seduced by the technology, and see technology as a status symbol and almost a “virtual religion” • Females see computers as something to be used for work (177). • O’Connor suggests • Men see technology as a gadget to explore, as something to play with and as entertainment; men are more positive about technology • Women see technology as a time saving device (1) • Tannen says, “[m]ost women want one thing from a computer—[for it] to work” (185). • Females are interested in information and not interested in getting the computer to “submit” (185). • Nicholson found that • Men see technology as area of bragging rights • Women are more interested in seeing if the computer works well enough to accomplish their tasks (188). • And you?

Interest in computers? • Females and males have equal interests in computers until fifth grade, when males’ computer use increases, and females’ computer use decreases (Kantrowitz 178). • Why might this be?

Differences in Net Use • Men are significantly more likely to view sex sites online and are more likely to report “‘relaxation and escape’ as the primary reason for using the Internet” (Knox et al. 3). • Women are more likely to lie (43% to 35%) (Knox et al. 3). • More males than females are addicted to “sex and the Internet” (9.9% compared to 4%) (Kelsey 1). • When using the net for sex females focused on relationships and used Internet chat features; whereas males were more visual (Kelsey 1). • Boys “were more interested in learning about technology, playing games and building Web pages”; whereas girls were “more ‘goal-orientated,’ using their time online to read publications, do homework, and communicate with others” (Bowman1). • Males visit more sites than females do (301.2 to 271 pages) (Bowman) • Women are more loyal in their website usage patterns and men prefer browsing the whole Internet (Bowman 2). • Females experience higher levels of anxiety online and thus were less likely to use the web for entertainment and to pass time (Tewksbury and Althaus 131).

Talking online • Youth dialogue in KIDCAFE roughly supports Tannen’s theory of female “rapport talk” and male “report talk” (Michel) • Women were more likely to initiate agreements in online communication, equally likely to initiate disagreements, but were less likely to challenge others or speak in their own defense (Wolfe 153). • Female collaborators often discussed more than their male collaborators (Duin and Archee) • Gender a bigger indicator than sex: those who tested as feminine less likely to participate in all class discussions (on and offline) and those who tested as masculine and androgynous participated more (Rickly 137). • Computer voices with the same scripts (Nass and Moon) : • Female voiced computers were seen as less friendly, less complimentary, less compelling, but more informative about the topic of love and relationships • Male voiced computers were seen as more competent and informative about computer and related topics

Web as a Clubhouse for Girls? • Pamela Takayoshi along with Emily Huot and Meghan Huot (Takayoshi’s stepdaughters) look particularly at how girls use their websites. • Computer culture for many females is an “inhospitable and sometimes dangerous space for girls,” or females in general and is an “electric clubhouse for boys” (89). • Some girls are “actively weaving the web, creating corners of the web that reflect girls’ interests, values, and solidarity” (90). • Girls are using the web as a “space to share their voices and ideas with real audiences” (95) • The female presence on the web is “bold, loud, and proud” (95) • “The Web is a productive venue for girls self-expression.. Gives girls a place for self-expression while intimately involving them in the working of technology” (104) • Girls are not only using the web, but are creating or recreating it with their own voices and websites

How do you navigate? • http://www.photo.net

Landmarks, Links, & Search Engines • Global & landmark • Sex & gender • Sex • Opposite use of methods • Initial navigation: Females most often used global and males landmark • Complete navigation: Females most often used landmark and males global • Gender • Initial navigation: Feminine used landmark (4), masculine used global (4), androgynous and undifferentiated used global (3) • Complete navigation: Masculine used global (2), androgynous and undifferentiated used global for one and landmark for the other, Females used landmark or mixed • What do these finding mean for web design? Web writing? Arrangement and delivery?

Harry Potter Fan Avatars 1 • Method: • Examined the forum of two popular Harry Potter Fan sites • Site 1 was avatar heavy and the majority disclosed their sex • Site 2 had less avatars and few disclosed their sex • Gathered 40 female avatars • Analyzed the avatars for self-identity, voice, and power • Initial findings: • Of 101 unique avatars: • 59 do not disclose their sex (only 1 from site 1) • 2 self-identified as male (both on site 2) • 40 self-identified as female

Harry Potter Fan Avatars: Findings • Sex & gender: • 17 have a feminine theme • 4 have a masculine theme • 15 are of females • 16 are of males • 9 have multiple people (3 are all male, the rest male & female)

Harry Potter Fan Avatars: Findings • Attributes • 14 are strong • 10 are powerful • 6 are weak • 1 is sexy • 9 are pretty • 8 are cute • 8 are childlike • 6 have attitude • 4 are smart

Harry Potter Fan Avatars: Findings • Traditional Depictions? • 18 had traditional feminine depictions • 6 had non-traditional depictions • 5 of those also had traditional elements

Harry Potter Fan Avatars: Summary • 42% are feminine & only 10% masculine • Females were slightly more likely to select male avatars than a female (16 to 15) • 35% were strong, 25% powerful, and only 15% weak • Only 2% were sexy, but 23% pretty and 20% are cute • 23% were childlike, but 15% had attitude • 45% are traditional depictions of the female, only 15% had non-traditional depictions, but 13% include both traditional and non-traditional • Many females may not be disclosing their sex • Females are much more likely to have avatars than males • Some females are weaving and authoring strong feminist identities online, but too many stay with the traditional and thus reinforce the problematic

Questions • What do these findings say about voice, writing, rhetoric, representation, and gender online? • How can we empower females to visualize and identify themselves in feminist ways? • Why are self-identifying females more likely to use avatars? • Why do they choose their avatars and what are they trying to say/do with them? • What do these avatars say about females as authors and agents of their identity? What does it mean that they are using outside images?

Other Questions & Discussion • jbowie@gsu.edu • www.screenspace.org

Gender, Writing, and the Web: