Worldwide statistics. In T101 23% of the class are women. 7 out of 30 (as taken from the survey). This is not representative of larger population.
Women use social media to build a community. Men use it to share information. They want to seem like experts on something.Among twentysomethings, women and men are just as likely to be members of social networks. Facebook, MySpace, and Flixster are extraordinarily popular. But we found that young women are much more active on these sites than young men. And men above 30—especially married men—aren't even joining social networks. With the notable exceptions of LinkedIn users and venture capitalists in the Bay Area "friending" everyone on Facebook, married men are not hanging out on social networks. Married women, however, are joining social networks in droves. In fact, women between ages 35 and 50 are the fastest-growing segment, especially on MySpace.
Barnes & Noble Censors Cover Featuring Androgynous Male Model:Barnes& Noble recently took an unusual step — the bookstore chain required the magazine Dossier wrap its new issue in opaque plastic before agreeing to stock it. The problem with the cover? Nudity. More specifically, the nude torso of the famously androgynous male model Andrej Pejic. He said, "It's a very liberal industry. You can be yourself. Just not overweight.” This shows that we do expect certain things from people, certain images and identities to be more preferable than others.
Disclaimer on talking about gender. Gender and sex are different. “A gender is like a personality, we all have one sometimes.” "Sex" refers to the biological and physiological characteristics that define men and women."Gender" refers to the socially constructed roles, behaviours, activities, and attributes that a given society considers appropriate for men and women.To put it another way:"Male" and "female" are sex categories, while "masculine" and "feminine" are gender categories.Aspects of sex will not vary substantially between different human societies, while aspects of gender may vary greatly.
We’re now individuals creating our identities instead of getting grouped into a larger demographic group and known through stereotypes. Actors have done this for centuries. In this media environment we do it too. [Truman Show] We are not the same at a frat party as we are at church. We are different when we play sports than we are when we meet our girl or boyfriend’s parents for the first time. In this media environment we’re the center of our own show b/c of social media.
GodessJaz (Feministing Blogger): Through using social media, or through a quick survey of the blogosphere, it’s apparent that our identities become more distinct online and if anything that distinction feels exaggerated, not invisible.Johanna Blakley: She’s wrong when she says, “Social media tools will help free from some of the absurd assumptions we have as a society about gender” “Social media will help dismantle some of the demeaning gender stereotypes we see in traditional media.” She may be right about, the fact that old (and big) media sees us in terms of our demographics. They see us as flocking in groups to different things so that they can identify us and send us messages about buying things.
(possible exam question) How are our identities online and old media or big media related? Why do media producers care about gender identity in social media/online anyway? Who is Johanna Blakley and who does she work for/represent? [advertisers who want to sell things to people who hate advertising in their entertainment content] Does she really understand social media, though?
Bridesmaids: has been described as a genre-breaking female version of The Hangover
PaulaDeen, says viewers are attracted to her shows because she's "not fancy and more like their neighbor and family. I cook real-people food. I like to talk about issues that affect the everyday person who is trying to keep it together for their family.” "For many people," she says, "cooking has become 'What is going to be good for me, what is going to be good for my family and how can I prepare something that is going to be fresh, quick and healthy?' "
They can do more of what they love in their lives due to social media.
