Framing the Internet

Abstract

Although access to the Internet in the United States has reached parity among males and females, over time gender differences in terms of usage, agency, and representation with technology are becoming evident. Early thinking about the Internet indicated a more liberating and equalizing effect than previous media because of its decentralized nature, reduced structural barriers to entry, and potential for diversity of voices. But over time, mainstream sites that have been developed for women are primarily interested in their value as consumers. Many sites have adopted a women's magazine model, using essentially feminine stereotypes to promote and position their content. This includes the ways in which these sites represent the ideas of technology and the Internet. This study compares two gendered spaces, iVillage and AskMen.com, and analyzes the differences in the ways that technology is framed and discussed.

“You Can’t Ignore a Number This Big”: Gender, Risk, and Responsibility in Online Advocacy for Women’s Brain Health

“…In addition, it appears that online health information is often presented in gendered terms. Royal (2008), for example, presents qualitative evidence that popular lifestyle websites frame health information in terms of femininity, adopting a "women's magazine model" that reinforces their role as informal caregivers. Furthermore, critical discourse analyses of breast cancer campaigns have documented the reinforcement of sexist gender norms by women's health advocacy (e.g., Gibson et al, 2015;Haines et al, 2010).…”

Social Workers and Broadband Advocacy

“…Many of the social theories for explaining the second-level digital divide are based on status within society. Specific articles have emphasized the importance of examining age (Livingstone & Helsper, 2007), gender (Royal, 2008), place of residence, and household size. López-Sintas et al (2010) examined “indicators of socioeconomic and cultural capital” such as occupational status and education level (p. 6).…”

Meme and cyber sexism: Habitus and symbolic violence of patriarchy on the Internet

“…The social construction theory of technology (social construction of technology) shows that technology is socially shaped in specific social contexts (Dixon et al, 2014, p. 2). In this case, in Royal (2008), MacDonald explains that gender discourse and stereotypes on the Internet are also identified in social contexts related to the dichotomy, namely public space and private space. People's perspectives are still influenced by gender role stereotypes, which place women in the domestic sphere and men in the public sphere.…”