Female respondents overwhelmingly indicated less confidence in their ability to use computers, despite the fact that they had had the same number of years of computer experience as male respondents. Internalized censorship of this sort reflects deeper social ills, and it is naive to expect that technology alone will heal them.
Predictor: Herring, Susan C.
Prediction, in context:In a 1993 research paper, “Gender and Democracy,” Susan Herring makes the following remarks: ”Women participating in CMC [Computer-Mediated Communication] are … constrained by censorship both external and internal. Externally, they are censored by male participants who dominate and control the discourse through intimidation tactics, and who ignore or undermine women’s contributions when they attempt to participate on a more equal basis. To a lesser extent, non-adversarial men suffer the same treatment, and in and of itself, it need not prevent anyone who is determined to participate from doing so. Where adversariality becomes a devastating form of censorship, however, is in conjunction with the internalized cultural expectations that we bring to the formula: that women will talk less, on less controversial topics, and in a less assertive manner. Finally, although it was not a focus of the present investigation, women are further discouraged from participating in CMC by the expectation – effectively internalized as well – that computer technology is primarily a male domain … Female respondents overwhelmingly indicated less confidence in their ability to use computers, despite the fact that they had had the same number of years of computer experience as male respondents. Internalized censorship of this sort reflects deeper social ills, and it is naive to expect that technology alone will heal them.”
Biography:Susan Herring, a professor of linguistics at the University of Texas at Arlington edited collections on the impact of the Internet including “Internet for Computer-Mediated Communication: Linguistic, Social, and Cross-Cultural Perspectives,” and “Computer-Mediated Discourse Analysis.” (Research Scientist/Illuminator.)
Date of prediction: January 1, 1993
Topic of prediction: Controversial Issues
Subtopic: Digital Divide
Name of publication: Electronic Journal of Communication
Title, headline, chapter name: Gender and Democracy in Computer-Mediated Communication
Quote Type: Paraphrase
Page number or URL of document at time of study:
http://www.internetstudies.pe.kr/txt/Herring.txt
This data was logged into the Elon/Pew Predictions Database by: Heiskell, Abbey K.