Anything you can do, I can do..too

Men are more complicated then woman. I know plenty of men would disagree with that claim. Although when looking at how men and woman approach computers and technology, men are more complicated in this since. This notion can be seen in a 1994 Newsweek article, “Gender Gap in Cyberspace” by Deborah Tannen. The world has greatly changed, especially in technology from 1994 to now but what Tannen says in her article still remains true. There is still a gender gap in cyberspace. Women are more interested in just having a computer work while men want to control the computer and understand how it works.


Tannen wrote, “Men want to force computers to submit. Women just want computers to work.” This is still true today. Men are motivated by the social structure that “says if you don’t dominate you will be dominated.” It is the stereotype that women are not interested with the challenge of fixing computer problems or getting the biggest and best computers. Men want to be on top of things like with cars. Men want the better engine, the higher horsepower when women usually just look at a car and say it looks nice or it’s fast not referring to the horsepower. Women usually don’t take the time to learn about technology and computers or at least not as long as men do. They just go to someone who knows about computers. “More men rather study the instruction booklet than ask directions from another person”, said Tannen. When a computer is being fixed men either want to be the ones fixing the computer or want to be involved in the process.

Women are more interested in connections and relationships but both men and women are attracted to the social uses of computers. Tannen speaks of how she became hooked on email in 1994. Since then social networking sites have taken other the world. Email and conversions in cyberspace are not physical. People tend to open up more. Women will speak to each other or be vocal physical or not. Men have been perceived as being more reserved. Tannen says that face to face conversions for men are too intense and once you start it is hard to stop the conversion. With computers it is safer for men and if you don’t want to talk to someone, just don’t respond to their message or just log off. Tannen described how when she saw she had emails she felt loved. This can be seen today with facebook notifications or how many twitter followers one has. People like to connect with others male or female.

The gender gap Tannen spoke of in 1994 has been shrinking greatly since then. The world is becoming more and more technologically based. These advances in technology have affected everyone’s lives and therefore everyone, male or female, must learn about technology in order to succeed and live in society. Men still want to know how things work, have the best, and fix it themselves. Women still just want technology to work and are attracted to its social uses. Yet both genders have learned how to use technology. Men have learned more through research while women have learned through being hands-on. Gender gaps in many areas have been decreasing but there are still glass ceilings and stereotypes that are keeping the gaps open.

Desire for Media

It all goes back to sex. Speaking from a Freudian perspective this is true. When applied to media, the notion of sex connected to the media is relevant today. Freud spoke of desires and unconscious thoughts as well. When applying Freud to the study of media he makes sense. How media is today goes along with the ideas of Freud.


Freud spoke of desire. Desire for things, phenomena, and appearances. Desire in speech and language. Desire into structures and subject to rules. Desire linked to images. Media which includes advertisements, television programming, movies, and music all show or describe what we want. "Wunsch", Freud's word for the linkage of desire and image is seen here. Image and desire is also seen in jokes, patterns of play, words of expression, and dreams. We understand the workings of desire, unconsciousness and consciousness through these images.

We are also moved by conflict between nature and culture, body and mind, and pleasure and reality. Look at the popularity of reality shows where there is a reward for the conflict of pleasure and reality. First off reality shows are really not reality. They are scripted or have people doing things they would not do in the real world. The reality show "The Real World" is an ironic example. People participate in the show in order to receive a reward which is toward pleasure. In the conflict between body and mind, take the show "Survivor". Where participants go without basic needs of food, cleanliness, clothing, and well established shelter for an extended amount of time. Their bodies must be telling them they need food, a shower, but their mind tells their body to take it in order to win and receive the money.

Freud also discussed the reality principle and pleasure principle. The reality principle is when we feel we must conform to social needs and are driven to social formations. It channels the libido toward objects and aims. Media channels the libido toward what object and aims. Media is part of society which dictates how one is supposed to act and want. The pleasure principle is when we are driven toward pleasure. Media plays on these pleasures. We may see a movie, buy music (or download music), or watch a television show because they display things we may want or a life we want to live.

Media is the id and ego referring to Freud’s structure of the psyche. The ego is pre-consciousness and deals with basic drives. The ego can be seen in the news. The news speaks of what goes on in society. No emphasis on desires just reporting what is going on in the world. The id is unconsciousness and deals with ones wishes. The id can be seen in pornography and programming like MTV. These types of media attract people due to their wishes.

Freud was all about desire and pleasure. Media is all about desire and pleasure. One will not keep watching something or listen to something if they do not enjoy it. Media attracts people due to want they like and want. There has been the idea of subliminal messaging. Subliminal messaging is frowned upon but media has been and will continue to market to ones consciousness and unconsciousness mind.