Huffstutter, P.J. (1996, February 11). Virtual identity. San Diego Union Tribune, pp. D1, D2.

OVERVIEW

Internet users are finding intrigue in swapping their names, appearances, and gender on-line. This "fluid identity" allows millions of people to explore and develop hidden aspects of their personalities. Some sociologists say gender-swapping is healthy, stating the lessons that Internet users learn about the opposite sex will last even after the computer is off. Others say that gender-swapping increases rather than eradicates gender bias.

"(Gender-swapping) is an amazing lens for seeing how much gender matters in communications," says Howard Rheingold, who has written a book about the virtual community. For instance, some women report going on-line as men so that they will be taken more seriously. Fiorella Terenzi, an astrophysicist, sometimes poses as a man on-line to gain the same credibility as her male peers.

According to a recent Gallup poll, nearly 31 percent of U.S. households have personal computers. The study also found that men use the computer about 52 percent more often per week than women. While more women are starting to log onto the Internet and work in the computer industry, some feel this shift is not happening fast enough. "Unless we do a good job of integrating a lot of different people into the development process, we will always have a technology geared toward men," says Anita Borg, a Palo Alto consultant and engineer.

Women are beginning to emerge in the high-tech corporate world. A survey conducted by Working Woman found that the greatest gains women have made as managers are within the computer industry. However, a study by the Chronicle of Higher Education reports that as recently as 1990, women were getting fewer than 30 percent of the bachelor’s and master’s degrees in computer science. And the number of girls today who are interested in doing math and sciences is not growing.

Attempts are being made to lead more women to computers. Women’s on-line forums such as Systers and WOW (Women on the Well) provide safe arenas for women to establish themselves on-line.

QUESTIONS FOR REFLECTION AND DISCUSSION

1. Why do you think women spend less time in cyberspace then men?
2. What do you think would prompt more women to go on-line?
3. Would you pose as a person of another sex, age, or background while on-line?
4. In your opinion, what is the appeal of going on-line as someone else?
5. How do you feel about people going on-line with a different identity?

IMPLICATIONS

• The Internet offers a safe place for people to experiment with different personas.
• Although efforts are being made to get more women on-line and to attract them to academic programs in computer science, women are still underrepresented in the computer field. Until women become more involved in the development of the Internet, it will continue to be geared toward men.
• Because the Internet allows people to assume new identities on-line, it has revealed that gender biases are still very real. Women report that in some on-line arenas, their male personas are taken more seriously than they are.

Sheila Walsh cCYS