Why Women Have Multiple Online Personalities
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When training women on digital security, I often ask them to choose an animal that would describe their online behavior. Interestingly, half of the class give answers like chameleon, butterflies, and fish. Some explain that their moods change as they navigate different sites, some say that they interact with different people differently, and for some the social networks serve different purposes and have different types of connections. But all these are symptoms of online insecurities and inequalities for women.
Both men and women have different personalities online. But for women it is one personality per platform, or per account. On the other hand, men are able to switch from comedians, singers, and accountants in one platform. They can post the same content across different platforms, while it is difficult for women to mix their hobbies and work together. So they are fashion or family people on Instagram, professionals on linked-in and twitter, and social on Facebook. These personalities don't mix.
The online world is so harsh for women such that they are unable to enjoy the freedom that men have online. To some women, the online world is too big and too public. It is a mess of all their relationships in one space.
A recent research by Southern Illinois University deduced that women go online to build relationships, while men look for information. Because we tend to be more relational, we are impacted more by societal norms than men. We tend to seek for acceptance in our circles. And this may take a while for many of us.
Policy responses to that protect vulnerable groups online require multiple approaches and extensive research on their unintended impacts. Policies that provide for criminalization of offenders have proven ineffective, especially when they require public approval. In Kenya we had laws on defamation that could have been used to protect online trolling. Instead, it was used to stifle freedom of expression by politicians to intimidate activists and criminalize dissent.
Redistributive policies have taken us to the next levels, and exposed us to other hurdles. More women are digitally literate, but they still suffer from the systemic inequalities. More of us have taken STEM courses, but also more than half of us drop out of these fields as we grow in our careers. Or as we are expected to take up more women roles.
Going beyond the legal provisions to protect violence against women online would need value-based policies. The kinds of soft policies that aim at shaping societal norms and attitudes. These policies, however, are less favorable because they take long for their effect to be realized. They also require more time and resource investment for policy for consistent communication and awareness campaigns over a long period of time. Policy communities have a culture of advocating for quick policy responses. They get the laws and relax. Yet policies and laws are interpreted societal values into formal rules. People need to understand and develop the right attitudes if the policies are to have greater impact.
Happy women’s day!
More Information:
- Gender differences in website utilization http://www.websiteoptimization.com/speed/tweak/usability-criteria/
