gender on the internet essays

gender on the internet essays 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 sisters 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 ...