Gender In Cyberspace

Many men that are interested in PCs definitely appear to have a different interest than women. Men become fascinated by the technology and spend countless hours trying to understand it or master it. However, many women like Deborah Tanner are just interested in knowing the basic. The question that we often ask is how do I get this technology to work effectively and efficiently for me in order to do what I need to do?

Deborah refers to herself as a pioneer; one of the first individuals that started the journey but, has no interest in going further. I can see where many women can be seen as pioneers because they on the quest to learn about the technology and then determine how it can be used to meet their purpose. However, unlike women many men will go beyond the pioneer phase.
As I read this article, I immediately thought of my cousin. He became so intrigue with the computer, he learned how to take it apart and rebuild it. This was without any formal training. When I asked him how he conquered his knowledge, he indicated that is was from spending many hours at the PC.

Deborah mentioned in her article that she was fascinated with email and when she received emails she felt loved. Email is a method of communication thatis being used more in society today. Deborah stated in her article that Steve (co-worker)communicated more effectively via email. People use emails in many different ways. Some people use emails for business related purposes; while others use email for personal means. Although, emails have it s value, it can become a little insensitive. Today’s society expect for you respond to an email as soon as you receive it.
I believe there is a difference between men and women when it comes to cyberspace. As Deborah has stated in her article and from what I have experienced first hand many men definitely go beyond the pioneer phase.


Tannen, Deborah. "Gender Gap in Cyberspace." A Virtual Commonplace. 16 May 1994. Newsweek. 5 Apr. 2007 -http://college.hmco.com/english/amore/demo/ch4_r1.html-.