Gender Differences in Online Media Usage

1. IntroductionThe relation between gender and media is an issue with low theoretical background in mass communication research. Many of the studies from this field are more directed to media representations and how women and men are represented in different media products.From the structural perspective, regarding social net-works, several studies were conducted to reveal the gender differences in self-representations. The interactive character of online media opens the possibility to develop the self-expression capacity of each user. They are now invited to get involve in creating and generating the identity trough different and complex online tools. Avatars, photo galleries, likes, fan pages, thematic discussion groups, each one them opens an opportunity to express our preferences related to various field of our lives.From the functional perspective, the focus on users' behavior, represents in the history of audience studies, the moment when user was considered like a responsible sum of choices and motivation. Elihu Katz and Herbert Blumer (1974) are the first theorists who study uses and media and under- line motivations of using. Cantril and Allport (1935) later conducted the first study of uses and motivation on radio listeners and Lazarsfeld and Stanton (1949), Walpes, Berelson and Bradshaw (1940) initiated the study of uses of print media. In this case, apart from the uses as a ritual behavior, there are possible uses based on particular reasons as relaxing or entertaining (McQuail, 1997, 17)The "rise of networked society," as Castells named the phenomena, had an important impact on everyday life. Beginning from "the sense of individual self or identity; consumption; the dynamics and politics of generation and gender in families and other households until "connection between the global and the local" (Lister, 2003, 7) internet reshapes the relations between people, at social level, producer and consumer, at economical level and brings new ways of learning and understanding for individuals.2. Theoretical considerations of gender differences in online mediaMorley and Lull, two of the most important researchers in gender and media studies, discovered that the differences in using television are based on gender. Morley argues that gender differences, between sexes, are not biological determined. Or, with other word, they are based on social considerations of men and women, and shared responsibilities in house and family. Thus, Morley believes, that researchers should always consider the context of viewing as much as the user viewed, and that the media viewing should not be considered outside the context in which is received (Buckingham, 2008, 18). Leila Green (2010) discusses the gender differences in using the new media and especially the idea that media is mostly used by men. The researcher continues the idea of Judy Wajcman (1991), which explains the relationship between female and new technologies and the way they are excluded from the use of them, she believes that happens due to social construction created around woman. Considering the involvement in new technologies usage as being similar with planning the future, with mythological signification, the involvement in this area should be dedicated to men (Green, 2010, 179). From anthropological perspective, the social construction of women in opposition with men is another argument for gender differences in use of online media. Technical skills are part of the range of skills that ideal men should learn, while one of the stereotypical traits of women is the lack of technical skills. Recommended stereotypical female skills are particularly non-technological, on part of the cooking. At the same time, female participation in the development of new technologies is difficult. The recent studies in the field show that internet tends to became more and more a mainstream media, and maybe the only gender difference in now determined by motivation or preferred content, which is a regular difference for all types of media. …