Examining the “Male, Antisocial” Stereotype of High Computer Users

Abstract

The popular stereotype of the frequent computer user persists to be one of a male, socially inadequate and isolated individual-a perception which has been found to cause many students to avoid coming into contact with information and communications technology (ICT), both inside and outside of school. This article reports on a study examining the gender and social competency of both frequent and infrequent computer-using students in Year 12 (n = 117). The results suggest that students who are highly oriented toward ICT are just as likely to be female as they are male and are no less sociable, popular, or self-assured than their non-ICT using peers. These data are then contrasted with interview data from the "high" and "low" using students which suggest that negative stereotyping of the computer-using student persists -although primarily among students not engaging with ICT in school. The article postulates that the vast increases in ICT use in schools over the last ten years has created a more accessible "computer culture" to which increasing numbers of students are now subscribing; although teachers need to be aware of the persistence of the male, anti-social stereotype within elements of the student body.

Young Women’s Misinformation Concerning IT Careers: Exchanging One Negative Image for Another

“…However, both the Weinberger and the Blum and Frieze studies considered college age students. Only Schott and Selwyn (2000) looked at high school age girls. This research explored the male-dominated, geek and loner stereotype in the United Kingdom.…”

“…Given that significant efforts are being made to combat the geek and loner image among young women, and that the Schott and Selwyn (2000) study at least suggested the possibility that this misconception might be diminishing, the current study was designed to ferret out the truth. It is the first study to specifically address this question with a large number of urban high school girls in the United States.…”

How children and adults learn to use computers: A developmental approach

“…Recent studies of how people learn to use computers from the social developmental perspective concern various issues. These issues can be grouped into the following categories: (1) Internet addiction (Davis, Smith, Rodrigue, and Pulvers, 1999;Griffiths, 1997;Young, 1996), (2) social identity and personality (Turkle, 1984(Turkle, , 1995Ike, 1997), gender difference and stereotype (Rocheleau, 1995;Schott and Selwyn, 2000), (3) computer anxiety and phobia , (4) social interaction and socialization (Crook, 1992;Freeman and Somerindyke, 2001;Lawhorn, Ennis, and Lawhorn, 1996;McKenna, 1999), and (5) life intrusion, privacy, and on-line predators (U. S.…”

Explaining Underrepresentation: A Theory of Precluded Interest

“…Because the computer science prototype is perceived as incongruent with the female gender role (Cheryan et al 2009; Diekman et al in press; Margolis and Fisher 2002; Schott and Selwyn 2000), we hypothesize that women will perceive less similarity between themselves and computer scientists than men will perceive. Such perceptions of STEM fields may be inaccurate (Beyer 1999a; Borg 1999), but that does not preclude their influence (Cheryan et al 2009).…”