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The World Wide Web is notorious for being able to disguise people, places, and things. I logged on to America Online at home through my sister’s account. The results and differences I received as a male and a female were exactly what I expected. America Online was one of my favorite pastimes a few summers ago, so I was quite familiar with its setup and the way things happen online. Many aspects of online are nice, but so many of them are unappealing and not worth my time.
Online experiences are somewhat the same as experiences in real life. Girls get hit on and boys do not, for the most part. When I am walking down the street, with my roommate, if we walk in front of a frat house we will get hit on; guys will yell out to us. Online females get hit on a great deal more than males, I observed this when I went online as both a male and a female.
Online is very different, though, because you cannot see the person you are talking to. Therefore, a person can impersonate anyone they want. This could be a positive outlet for somebody who does not feel like they are accepted, but the Internet is not what many would call a “nurturing” environment. For example if a teenager is a minority by social class or race they can feel a lot more accepted online because their minority is not seen online. Also if a person thinks they might be homosexual they could talk to other males or females without worry.
For the most part the Internet is a place where people can do what they want and say what they want and not suffer any repercussions for their actions. Some of this is liberating, while some of this is oppressive. The liberating part is being able to talk to many different cultures and being able to say what I please. The oppressive part is the fact that anyone can put me down whenever they want, and it does happen. I encountered many different comments as a female and as a male.
As a female in the various chat rooms I entered I encountered many negative stereotypes that seem to come along with being a female online. I was asked if I was “loose”, my bra size, my weight, measurements et-cetera. I was asked numerous times to cyber, which is online sex. When I told people that I was single I was immediately asked to cyber.
As a male online I was not treated nearly the same way. I was asked by only one girl to cyber, and was never asked my size or anything like that. I was asked more about music and sports teams than anything else.
I think the reason I was treated differently as a male is because society, in general, has a different view of males. “Sex segregation should be understood not as a given, but as the result of deliberate activity” (1997 Disch 81). This is why women and men are treated differently online, because we are taught from birth that we are different, and most people believe it. Males act differently than females, therefore, males act differently online than females. “It’s expected that if you’re the man, you *censored*. And if you don’t *censored*, your not a man” (1997 Disch 239). I think this mentality helps a lot of males act the way they do. This contributes to the “I have to talk nasty online” mentality for males.
In conclusion, I would say that it is obvious that males and females are different, and it shows through the way they act online. Females are less talkative and less into looks and sex while males are more into sex and a female’s looks. This thought is my own opinion and generalization, but I think that my online experience proves this theory and that my life in general has proved this theory.
Bibliography
Works Cited
Disch, Estelle (1997) Reconstructing Gender: A Multicultural Anthology. Mountain View, CA: Mayfield Publishing
Word Count: 660
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