Gendering the internet: Claims, controversies and cultures

Abstract

In this article the mutual shaping of the Internet and gender is analysed. Common claims that the Internet constitutes a masculine or contrarily a feminine environment are critically discussed, as well as the cyberfeminist contention that the Internet enables new identities not limited by gender. It is argued instead that gender and the Internet are multidimensional concepts that are articulated in complex and contradictory ways. Drawing from cultural and technology studies, we assume that the gendered meanings of the Internet arise particularly at the moment of 'domestication'. In-depth interviews with young couples are used to illustrate how the social, symbolic and individual dimensions of gender interact with everyday uses and interpretations of the Internet, showing four types of articulations constituting traditional, deliberative, reversed and individualized use cultures. Whereas male usage primarily explains these types, the interviews show that this does not automatically result in the construction of a masculine domain in the household. It opens up space for shared and feminine appropriations as well.