When being asked to write a blog post, my first reaction was “What?! When was my last blogging?”
Blogging, is somehow being an “old fashion” terms now when everyone just enjoy using facebook and twitter. Before the prevalence of Facebook, people used to blog a lot. And everybody should at least have a Xanga and keep track on others’ Xanga by subscribing it. I don’t know if everybody know this blog host but it used to very famous in Hong Kong. People mostly kept saying what they did on that day and sometimes writing some poems about their emotion, love and life. However, when Facebook come, everybody switched from Xanga to Facebook. Apart from the benefit of creating the social network not only in the real life but also in virtual world, short status seems to be easier and readable comparing with blogs. Also, Facebook somehow is more effective to show who you are than blogging.
After reading this article Gender Differences: Men vs. Women on Facebook , I have few question coming up: Does girls Facebook more than boys? Does gender a reason for different kind of Facebook behaviour? Does Facebook being a tool to promote yourself and attract somebody else?
In the article, the author stated girls have more post on wall than boys. It’s easily result in girls talk more than boys. Is it really true? In my observation, it’s true to some extent. Girls are more likely to share their feelings with others on facebook. They like to show where they’ve been and what they did with the “Check In” function. But boys are also active on facebook in other ways. For example, they like to share others’ post, picture, songs, videos etc and comment on it. They specifically like to share pictures contain jokes from 9gag.com (constructed by Hong Kong people) to show how humorous they are. Also, they love to comment on political issues. I must admit that boys do it much more than girls.
Facebook is multi-functional. It’s an identity, a mirror of yourself in this virtual world. Make you being visible all the time. It allows you to describe yourself in detail, for example, interest, music,hobbies etc. Through showing your communication with others like photos and wall post, people get to know you more. That’s why I said Facebook is much more reflecting yourself than blogging. In other words, it’s a tool to for you to attract others’ “eyeball”. As the article said, some women even check up on their ex on facebook. I must admit that some girls really do so, even for me. But I don’t think things go too extreme. Sometimes, people are just curious about the life of their ex without him/her. Facebook is undoubtedly a good way to know one’s relationship status. Some girls may even show their photos of daily life more on Facebook to tell everyone that she is still well without men, at the same time, declaring she is single and well available. Will boys do so? Yes, but in other ways. For example, post some music , say something encouraging , click “attending” on more party event etc.
Boys and Girls may have certain difference Facebook behaviour but somehow they have the same goal.
Facebook is also easier to use because EVERYONE is there and it’s easy to just type somebody’s name and find their page. If you want to read somebody’s blog you have to remember what the blog’s name was or the link to the blog. Facebook is definitely a new tool for blogging. You don’t have to write long entries but you can still tell the world how you’re doing with several short sentences. I don’t use Facebook now (when I’m in Finland, I’m from here) as often as when I lived abroad. Facebook gave me an opportunity to check what my friends were doing in Finland and update them on what’s going in my life. Blogging didn’t work for me because I don’t like to write long entries and I knew that not so many of my friends would actually read my blog. In my opinion, blogging is as bit old-fashioned phenomenon unless you’re writing about some specific topic (as I wrote in my own blog post).
About gender differences, I agree that girls usually post more. My male Facebook-friends usually don’t write anything but they are active on FB in other ways: writing private messages, chatting, attending on events. Somehow I don’t want to agree with the statement that girls like to express their feelings that’s why they post their thoughts online more often than boys. I can’t agree with it because it sounds too stereotypical and because I myself am not like this. I don’t express my thoughts and feelings online because I don’t want too many people to know about it. Also I think sharing relationship statuses or other too private stuff is too much. Facebook is a great page for communication and keeping contact with (foreign) friends, but people should think more when they write about their private life and they should not forget that private life should stay private and not end up on FB.
It is fascinating that you write about facebook. For some reason it is difficult to find research about gender and Facebook (at least for me, before and during the course). Why is that so? Is it because researchers don’t have access to profiles because they are private? Ethical issues? The same text that you have found is also the single text I’ve found.
Always when using words like “gender differences” is is important to remember that use construct and reconstruct gender binary and a “two-gender system”. But does everyone fit? Does everyone feel included? Here is a great site where you can read more about it: http://genderbinary.wikidot.com/