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Facebook, Internet, LinkedIn, New Business World, Re-Imagine!, Rotarians, Rotary, Social Media, Social Networking, Tom Peters, Twitter, Women
Here’s a question for you to ponder.
Would Social Interactive Media (SIM) be where it is today if women hadn’t put their stamp of approval by becoming active users?
- Did Women make Social Media acceptable to the World?
I’m not talking about numbers, because 60% of Facebook users are women, so it’s obvious that they have had an important impact in the volume of users, but I’m talking about legitimizing it for everyone else. I don’t want to get into stereotyping, but as George Clooney’s character in Up In the Air said, “It’s faster.”
Consider that, with the exception of having sex, most men need a reason for becoming involved in an activity. Men don’t shopping; they go to a store to purchase. A man may say that he plays golf just for the enjoyment of the game, but don’t let anyone kid you, a man’s golf score can make or break his day.
Women, by contrast, don’t need to have a reason to go to the store or play golf. They can find pleasure in just doing the activity. For a woman, life doesn’t need justification to be enjoyed.
Now look at the Social Media arena. I often find that men are the most phobic when it comes to participating in Social Media. They mistrust and fear it. Often the comment is, “I just don’t understand what the purpose is!” And there lies the stereotyped gender difference. Men need a reason (and they tend to leave their participles dangling.)
Women don’t need a reason. The format of sharing information and ideas is in their comfort zone and that’s all they need. Women are accustomed to be judged by others, so they don’t fear being judged online. Women are also better self-monitors, so they know how to control their emotions when they post and tweet.
I believe that it was the acceptance of Social Media by women that pushed it into the mainstream. Now, men are just trying to keep up…and trying to find a justification, a ‘reason’, to explain why participation in Social Media is important….hmmm…how’s that working out for us, guys?
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Huh.
Interesting take on it … not sure I agree with your premise. I know plenty of women who “don’t get” twitter and facebook, so they don’t use those tools.
And “women are accustomed to being judged by others” … and so we don’t fear being judged online?
Kind of a sweeping statement. Women certainly do experience being judged by others … and much of that experience is negative. Concerns over privacy also slow people from using the tools.
I find several drivers for accepting social media: friends (who are on), family (to keep in touch), innovators and early adapters (who want to try out all the latest) and employers / work (have to figure it out for my job, my business).
Like I say, stereotyping is so much faster.
I also know many women of have a fear of Social Media; however, my personal experience is with more men than women who seem to be angry at Facebook/Twitter/etc. even though they have little or no experience with it.
Certainly the stereotype of men and women fails when it is put to the test with outliers, and I agree the ‘women have experience being judged’ is probably too sweeping a statement…at least for a male to make, but I’ll let women decide how inaccurate the statement is about women.
I still believe that had the medium not been accepted by a broad base of women it would be a minor fad at this point (minor being less that 100 million users on Facebook).
Good point on the drivers. I’ve seen much the same.
Thank you for your feedback!