In these instances, women may have Internet access, but may havelittle or no control over what knowledge, information and resources are permitted. For women to have access to the Internet, we have to insist upon having access to services and resources that are of our own choosing. As an additional note, having access to all aspects of the Internet does not mean women will want to participate on-line. Women need to also have access to material that is relevant and pertinent to their own lives experiences. But in general, computer culture is created, defined and controlled by men.
Women often feel about as welcome as a system crash.
Finally, the cultural forces that exist and inform our society and our social relations have a significant role to play in preventing women from wanting to be a part of the Internet community. As women and men, we are raised in a social climate that has gendered technology as part of masculine identity. To be male is to technological, to be female is to be non-technological, regardless of the reality that women and men experience. This is reflected in our choice metaphors surrounding computer technologies and the Internet. The construction of the computer as a metaphor for the lack of emotions or an escape from reality alienates women.