It can be argued that years of constant social warning to the negative
consequences created by sexism and misogyny have resulted in reduced chauvinism
in our everyday lives. This is certainly not the case in the online environment
where females are consistently degraded. To be a woman on the Internet implies
severe lack of technical knowledge, coping with obscene male remarks, and
tolerating substantial sexual harassment. A brief search across the Internet
can result in locating numerous inappropriate content that would be unacceptable
in society. So is this truly a modern day phenomenon? Is ‘women-bashing’
becoming a norm because of the free-nature of cyberspace? I would argue that
there is significant evidence to prove that online gender stereotyping occurs
frequently due in part to a lack of online regulations. There is also hope,
however, that when met with adversity from females banding together, this
stereotyping can decrease.
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiB9pQgfs2GRWIU9mQQozRx81KtjLRFuY9PHArDOkvtGYzQEst5TVPwvO5pv_DtwTQUZNw6Rq5v2xNR5p4LaM5sk2IRhyumqExo98_V4CI0tDlQ4KS8F6PnU8emeVH2s2yyRVMsd2LWFCU/s400/too+st+4+amy.jpg)
When viewing the commercial for the first time, I could
not help but think of the impression it must leave on young girls. Do they
watch the commercial and disconnect from online applications altogether? Or do
they try to ignore it, treat it as the new ‘norm’ of society, and move on with
freshly lowered self-impression. This advertising unjustly implies that women
have a lower technical expertise and further adds to this gender misconception.
Although this perception would rarely present itself on traditional media
(radio, television, tradeshows, etc.) the same political correctness does not
take hold on the Internet. This makes it easier for Samsung to move forward
from this incident image intact. Women’s Media Centre, a feminist organization
with the goal of public awareness, launched a campaign
exposing Samsung’s gender biased commercials. The campaign, targeting
corporations who produce such “entertainment”, was successful as Samsung
stopped all advertisements with stereotypical Amy.
A lack of Internet self-monitoring also allows for
misogynistic comments to surface, as self-appointed critics do not feel they
are bound by the same social conventions governing other mediums. A study conducted by the Journal of and Social Psychology proves that when placed
in similar online forums, avatars with female associations are treated
negatively. This negativity occurs on mediums ranging from video uploading
sites to online gaming but connotes another stereotype not furthered by other
mediums; the stereotype that women are only useful when cooking, cleaning, or
performing sexually. One example of this could be found on a Youtube video posted by a
girl showing off her soccer ability. This video clearly shows how talented the
young woman is as she juggles a soccer ball many times and performs tricks
requiring both extreme dexterity and skill. Following the video, a male user
comments “Get back in the kitchen !!!”.
Upon looking at his profile, the user seems to be an average
18-year-old residing in the United Kingdom who’s hobbies seem to include online
gaming and soccer. From uploaded videos he has previously uploaded, we can see
that he does not appear to actively and regularly subjugate women. So why was
this comment posted in this way? It was posted for the same reason Samsungs
reputation remains progressive, because there are no consequences for
stereotyping, only the feeling of self accomplishment. This type of comment has
quickly become the online norm following any female contribution. Spurring
these comments is the apparent validation males experience when expressing
their apparent dominance over females.
When I scrolled down to this comment, a few ideas
immediately caught my attention. The
first was courage displayed by the female uploading this video. To expose
ones-self by placing a personal video online for everyone to view requires
enormous bravery. To continue exposing yourself by leaving the video in place
after these comments shows how strong this woman truly is. Even though online
society allows for this to occur, it is refreshing to see a person successfully
fight against the stereotype. This girl is a role model to other girls for more
than just soccer but for standing her ground when faced with opposition. I also
noticed other females supporting and congratulating her for showing superior
skills. Stopping a negative perception and creating a new positive online norm
requires individuals to rally in support of accomplishments the way women have
done in this circumstance.
The third and perhaps most
inappropriate stereotyping comes in the form of deliberate sexual harassment. One study
from the University of Haifa confirms, “Gender harassment in cyberspace is very
common”, especially in the form of sexual harassment. The study goes on to say
“active verbal SH [sexual harassment] mainly appears in the form of offensive
sexual messages, actively initiated by a harasser toward a victim”. Common
places these messages can be found include chat rooms, social networks, and
video uploading sites. Males use these spaces to display their ‘masculinity’ by
communicating in ways that would be completely inappropriate in other mediums.
While exploring the Internet I came across an example of this on Youtube. A video displaying female
shooting different firearms is accompanied by graphic male remarks. One male
comments “she can pull the trigger of my love gun anytime”. The shockingly
brazen manner in which this comment appears demonstrates how mainstream online
sexual harassment has become. It also strengthens the argument that this
material consistently appears in cyberspace because of a lack of regulation.
I found this comment obscene, as
it is a clear violation of both the law and an individual’s dignity. I also
observed that his comments seemed to be undisputed by others despite the
video acquiring over 1.4 million views. After checking the video statistics, it
was clear why. The vast majority of viewers were males. Unlike the previous two
examples where other women came to support females being victimized, this
victim had fewer females to rely on, resulting in a perception that there is no peer support. A closer inspection supports
this theory as a female supporter is found supporting the victim furthur down the comment list. Even on this
video where the overwhelming number of male remarks drowns out visible female
support, there are females who are willing to stand up against online norms and a large male audience to
change online society.
Gender discrimination is an issue
far from solved in cyberspace as women are displayed as technologically
backwards, ability deficient, and sexually inferior. Although there are many
examples to label this discrimination as a norm, there are also many examples
of women standing together and trying to change this trend. If we want to eliminate
this trend going forward, then more action must be taken to alert the public to
the damaging results of gender bigotry.