This is the second in a series of guest posts by University of Minnesota students from a class I guest lectured at this past fall. This particular post is from senior Janessa Olson. Enjoy.
Do men and women use social media in the same way? Do men find the same enjoyment in it that women do? Who uses it more?
I discovered that there is a difference in the way that men and women approach social media and the reasons why they use it. According to Neiman Journalism Lab at Harvard University, more women than men use many popular social networks. 57 percent of women use Twitter, 57 percent of women use Facebook, and 55 percent of women use Flickr. Also, women now represent nearly two-thirds of MySpace.
I found some of these statistics fascinating because I had no idea that women represent a larger number of the online social network than men. After seeing the numbers, I wondered why this is. According to an article on salon.com, entitled “In Social Media, Women Rule,” ladies like to chat, share intimate details of their lives and keep in touch with friends they haven’t seen in person since grade school. Men don’t have time for such social frivolity. The article also states that of the last remaining young people on Facebook, men are the remaining holdouts because they think it is a time suck or a forum for oversharing.
Although I know exactly why I use social media, I have never taken the time to try to understand why men do. It is surprising to find out that all of the reasons why I use social media may be entirely different for men. Although I may use Facebook, for example, to write a funny comment on my roommate’s wall or post photos of the previous weekend, I am curious if men use Facebook in the same way. And if so, do they find the same enjoyment in it?
As a woman entering the workforce within the next year, I am currently using social media as a tool for networking to employers and connecting with people who may be helpful in my career search. I have no doubt that social media will play a huge part in my life and my career.
Janessa Olson is a senior at the University of Minnesota, majoring in Public Relations and minoring in Business Management. She is an intern at Canterbury Park Horseracing Track in Shakopee, Minn. and is excited for the final five months of her college career and the continuing the job search.
I question the statistics in the second paragraph: "57 percent of women use Twitter, 57 percent of women use Facebook, and 55 percent of women use Flickr."
Do you mean 57% of Twitter and Facebook users are women, or that 57% of ALL women (where - in the US, North America, worldwide?) use Facebook and Twitter. There is a BIG difference between those two interpretations!
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LikeI agree with the above two comments:
"Men don’t have time for such social frivolity."
Seems like a large, and outdated stereotype. I hope the majority of Americans no longer hold the belief that women sit at home baking cookies and gossiping with their girlfriends while the man is out bringing home the bacon.
It is interesting though that women use social networks more, and the *real* reason would be interesting to research! Good, thought provoking post.
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LikeI agree with Colby- great post. Boys seem to interact on Facebook much like real life. Less words, pictures, and exclamation points! I notice my girlfriends and I are constantly writing on each other's walls and signing 'xoxo.'
When looking at potential love interest's profiles, we always complain they are boring, with hardly any posts or updates. (So not fun and hard to analyze!) That doesn't mean they are less active in social media, just interacting in different ways. Men are much less likely to post albums of themselves. This could be attributed to men are less likely to be carrying cameras around and insisting on snapping pics. Really, when was the last time your Dad insisted on 10 pictures at Christmas? It's always been a "Mom, stop it.." in my home.
Facebook is an example but I agree with what Colby said about social media reinforcing gender roles.
Thanks for the thoughts!
-Allison
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LikeI cringe at the use of 'frivolity' in the article you reference, both for women and social media. It's essentially saying that women's use of social media is unimportant or not serious, inferring that what men are doing, presumably away from social media, is more important. To that end, the "In Social Media, Women Rule" article reinforces gender roles.
What I believe would truly be interesting is content analysis of how men and women interact and engage in social media- beyond usage statistics. Are these gender roles really reinforced through actions and words? To what extent, if any, do women use social media for "sharing intimate details" more than men?
I wonder if I get to do a research project for one of my sociology or StratComm classes next semester, ha.
Great post, Janessa. Definitely sparked something for me.
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