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.