In the
article, “Gender Trouble in Web 2.0” by Tanja Carstensen explores the gender
relations on web 2.0. Part of the article discusses the gender restrictions
social networking sites place on their users. Most networking sites require
that once you join you must select a gender. For some sites, like the German
site studiVZ, if you do not select a gender you are not allowed to join the
site. I was shocked by this. So, I went to Facebook to see if the same thing
applied. I joined Facebook my junior year of high school and didn't really remember
if I had to select a gender. So I started to create a fictional account. I
honestly thought to myself that Facebook must have an “other “option. For a
site that is so prevalent in our cultural zeitgeist, it must allow you to not
select a gender. I was mistaken. When I tried sign up for Facebook it wouldn't allow me to continue without selecting a gender. See below:
I found
this astonishing. How is that one of the most powerful and popular sites in the
world would force you to select a gender. I honestly don’t see the point. Social
networking sites, are specifically made for our own personal enjoyment. They
are controlled by the users and all the content is user generated. Yet the
users must select a gender. I find this very restricting and small-minded, we
should not have to force users into a specific gender. Carstensen finds this
gender selection limiting, yet quotes statistics that are purely based on sites
that have a forced gender selection. Why is it that sites require a gender? I
feel it is so marketers can form statistics like the one below so they can
market to us better:
This goes
back to the previously discussed issue of privacy. Our gender or at least the gender
that we a line with should be up to the users to disclose. The only reason why
sites want us to put a gender is so that it is easier for those sites and
marketers to target products towards us. Half the banner ads that appear on my Facebook
would not appear if I didn't have a gender selected. I feel that
selecting a gender should be up to the user themselves and not be required to
log onto the site. If we didn't have genders selected on blogs or social
networking sties I feel that content would be judged on the quality of the post
not the gender of the user. Do you think gender
selection should be optional and if so how would that change web 2.0?
I completely agree with the arguments presented in this post, especially the idea that getting rid of the requirement to identify with a gender would force readers to judge content based on merit rather than pre-conceived opinions and stereotypes. Although having users choose either 'male' or 'female' allows marketers to reach a wider audience, I believe the internet's role as a medium of self expression is far more important than its role as a mediator between marketers and their potential consumers. The internet promotes self expression at all levels by giving users the power to interact and create. Users can interact with communities that share similar interests. If such communities don't exist, users are clicks away from creating these unprecedented communities using tools that social media provide, such as Facebook Pages and Tumblr blogs. However, forcing users to choose one gender over another negates one of the ways the Internet is able to facilitate self expression. Users are only able to interact with what is already available; they are not able to create. That is, users are only able to identify with what pre-exists, which limits their ability to express themselves. Forcing users to choose either 'male' or 'females' suppresses their ability to express themselves to the fullest extent and share ideas with an unbiased audience.
ReplyDeleteIt’s also interesting that few years ago when I tried to add my best friend Lisa as a brother, Facebook came back few days later and changed it permanently to a sister. Lisa and I had a brother like relationship so I was appalled that Facebook without asking my permission made that alteration. Right when this happened, I thought to myself who was Facebook founded by and I was like…hmmm. Here again, you have no control of what you like and what you want to put online. I don’t know if the social media companies have some sort of fear or they are just not comfortable with people’s gender and sexuality. I mean in this white, dominant, patriarchal society things are only shaped as pleased and when it comes down to it, it’s all about making that money. So I agree here with you when you say that gender is required “so marketers can form statistics…so they can market to us better.” Couple times I have been surfing through the feeds in Facebook and ads about finding someone online for “arranged marriage” have shown up. I was like what???
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