Today’s readings (which are found on Blackboard under the Assignment tab, NOT the textbook) not only continue our previous discussion of the media’s role in constructing gender norms but also go further to implicate the feminist and social justice movements’ task in bringing awareness to and possibly dismantling these skewed, limited representations.We’ll focus on the media reading today.
DeFrancisco and Palczewski’s Communicating Gender Diversity, reminds us how media shape the “social imagination” (p. 257) and that progressive representations are more likely to be found in alternative (read: less commercially risky) media forms. However, the authors then turn to statistics and examples in gender differences of internet use. Most tellingly, the authors conclude that new technologies replicate old gender norms grounded in women’s desires for communication as connectivity and men’s need for communication as information. Keep in mind that the studies are now almost ten years old. How do your experiences with new technologies and media forms compare? For example, do you notice gender differences in how you and your friends use social media such as Facebook, Twitter, blogs, TiVo, DVRs and so on?
Gender Communication Summer 2009 
When I was growing up I remember the day that my family got a computer. I was so very excited to have this new technology in my home! I was among one of the first families in my middle class predominantly white neighborhood to own a computer. I had remembered using the outdated dos system on the computers at school, but now my family had a PC with windows! How exciting right?! I imagine the feeling I got over the computer was the same one my mother had when her family got their first microwave.
Once our computer was set up I remember my father being the more knowledgeable one. He set up the various software and we were up and running. Since I was a child I have grown up watching both of my parents use the internet. My dad is much more savy with computers and the like than my mother or I. Also my dad “plays” around with the computer while my mother uses it as a means of communication. She is always checking her email and sending out various emails to her friends. My father on the other hand uses it more so for information. I see the same thing between my husband and I. Aside from school work I use the internet to email, and facebook my friends. I love the fact that with a few strokes of the keyboard I can catch up with an old high school friend.
I feel that men are more likely to “surf” the net. This goes along with the chapter from the textbook link that suggests that men use the internet for the purpose of finding information or entertainment.
The authors suggested that young women are more likely to use the internet more that young men and I see this as being true among my husband’s and my friends. The females use the internet a lot more, but most of the time the girls are on facebook.
The authors also suggested that older men are more likely to use the internet than older women. This is not the case in my experience because I have way more older women as friends on facebook than older men. Most of the women are mothers and have facebook to keep up with their children. Also my grandmothers are much more tech and internet savy than my grandfathers who are stubborn and find that using the internet is a nuisance. They still prefer to write letters and use a fax machine.
It is interesting to consider the gender differences between men and women’s internet usage. I find that some of my experiences coincide with those of “Communicating Gender Diversity” and others contrast with the textbook.
I remember my old HUGE computer. I did not have a dad at the time so I was the “know it all.” I feel like it was a big time for me to learn the technology of the sacred computer. I felt so cool being the only one to know how to use it. My family use to ask my millions of questions about it. I finally pretended I did not know how to work it, because I was so sick of the questions…childish, yes.
Same happened with me! I used to pretend that I didn’t know how the simplest things so I didn’t have to spend all my time helping them out!!
“I feel that men are more likely to “surf” the net. This goes along with the chapter from the textbook link that suggests that men use the internet for the purpose of finding information or entertainment.”
I believe this to be very true. When my boyfriend is on the internet he typically is very bored just browsing sites, if not looking for a specific item. He will most often look up a sports score and be done. Unlike him, I tend to browse the internet for much longer periods of time. Looking something up turns into reading other articles just because they are interesting…
I remember when we got our first computer in our house too. Unlike your story, my dad had no idea what he was doing. Instead, my brother was the technologically savy one in the family. Man, he could do EVERYTHING, and if he didn’t know off the top of his head, he was on there until he figured it out. Looking back on things, that computer was the downfall for our family for a long time. Yes, we loved it, but we love it TOO much. My brother and I were really close when we were younger, but as soon as we got that computer we fought everyday allday. The computer consumed our lives from the time we got home from school until we went to bed. We didn’t even need to be talking to anyone or doing anything on it, it just had to be lit up and on in front of us.
Now we have two CPU’s and two laptops in our house and only two people who use them. Needless to say, our CPU’s do not get touched.
Sam my dad was the same! one of my brothers set it up! and we all loved it too and would fight over it all the time!
Even though your father was not the technical one; your brother was. This kind of goes along with the idea that men are better than women with computers.
I think that older men use the Internet more than older women because more men had access to a computer and Internet when the computer first came out, for example, in jobs or simply because women were not skilled as much with the computer, so it makes sense to me. My grandparents have a computer, and my grandma always jokes how all she knows how to do on a computer is send an e-mail while my grandpa can do almost anything on a computer, but that’s just because he had a job where you needed to know how to use a computer and my grandma was always a stay at home mother who didn’t need to access the Internet.
I think it was interesting to read the articles talking about different ways gender uses technology. I do not really agree with most of them, but it is always good to know other perceptives.
Personally, I love Ellen. I loved every show she has been on. She cracks me up. I think it is great that she could publicly come out on her TV show. It was interesting to read how she had to come out ‘following rules.’ I never really thought about it before.
I do not really see different genders being technology driver. Instead, I have to think it is more of who the individual is. Here are some examples of what I mean. Personally, I am a technology wiz. I can usually figure out any technology and LOVE doing so. Every Christmas, birthday, or any occasion I love getting the new gadget that came out. On the other hand, there is my sister. She uses the technologies, like the internet, only to communicate. She has a cell phone that has so many cool gadgets, but only uses it to call, text, or to check her facebook. When I was younger the cool thing to do was to instant message. People were online 24/7 either with status or chatting. Now I go on maybe every six months. The second I sign on, my friend Tarek will instant message me. Without a doubt, every time he is there to say “Hey Jess.” It is weird, because if I get on facebook he is messaging me too. Yes, he is one of my best friends, but he is constantly on a internet form of communicating. It is odd because usually girls are the ones to want to communicate through the internet. I can not stand it. Facebook is fine, but I do not like it. I feel like I am TOO available to communicate if I have a cell phone, facebook, instant message, and e-mail. It creeps me out there are some many forms of communication.
TiVo is a funny technology in my house. Looking through our recorded items you can see whose is whose. Mine are perfect times with five minutes after so I can get all the previews. I have all my settings correct, so it only records new runs of a show. My mom’s on the other hand is out of control. I have taught her multiple times how to set up a recording. She fails EVERYTIME. Her show will record every time that show is on that channel. We can have ten Army Wives episodes of all the same one. It is actually an often fight we have. I teach her over and over, but nope she still does not understand it.
I think it is interesting what you said about your mom and Tivo. We don’t have Tivo but my mom is the same way about every piece of technology. Everytime she watches a movie my mom makes me stop what I’m doing to turn the tv to the right setting and start the movie because “she does’nt know how”. Yet, when I am at school she manages to do it just fine. It drives me CRAZY! I have even gotten phone calls from her because she coulnd’t figure out how to cut and paste on the computer. Simple I know.
Even though the reading says that men are supposed to be better with technology than women I dont see this as being true. My dad is just as bad as my mom is with computers, but definitely way better than her with the TV. He is a fast learner when it comes to that, but blames everything on technology. He hates it.
That is exactly how the TiVo is at our house. I’ve tried to explain it to my mom over and over again and I’ve even watched her do it. But, she just forgets when its time to record something again. I mean with the repetition she will eventually learn, but she is just not the most technologically advanced person.
Your example of Instant messaging is interesting. Its funny how some form of communication can be so popular then all of a sudden no one uses it. I used to use AIM constantly, and now, as you said, sign on about every 6 months. It is crazy to think that facebook eventually will go out too. The media and technology seems to be constantly changing to fit our fast pase lifestyles, who knows what will be next…
You really do bring up a good point, AIM was so big and now facebook has taken over and now even if people did still use AIM facebook chat is still used! This just shows how fast technology moves on! And we also have webchat to!
I love how you and your mom are so different about TiVo because my mom and I are so different when it comes to using the internet. My dad works on computers for a living and has since before I was born. I have taken many of computer classes and talking with him has made me more knowledgeable. Whenever I am trying to explain something to my mom I refer to something and she never follows me. Today for instance I told her to refresh the page and she had no idea. I got angry. I figured she would have figured out all of the terminology after being married to my dad for 25 years.
Torrie, my family is the same WAY!!! My step dad builds computers for fighter plights for a living, but nope that does not rub off on my mom. I say ‘input’ for the TV to turn on the DVD player…she has NO CLUE what I am talking about.
I actually just thought about how IM used to be all the rage back in the middle school years and I was thinking to myself “what on earth did we talk about?!” I definitely talked to girls far more than boys on IM though!
I think you’re right in saying its more based on the individual. In my family, its my mom and I who use the internet the most. But Dad hates technology. Giving him a new gadget for Christmas would be a punishment not a gift. But my mom, granted doesn’t love them, but she wants to be “with it” therefore is willing to learn. She uses the internet, probably more then me, and then theirs itunes and her ipod and phone. But my dad does none of those things except for his email at work, but give him another email system, he’s lost. The funny things is, my mom can do computer stuff, phone stuff, and camera stuff, but she doesn’t know how to turn on the tv. ahaha
It’s funny how every one is bringing up technology frustrations with their parents. I experience the same thing with my parents and I agree that it is frustrating. I have to remind myself to be patient as I have grown up with the technology and they haven’t. My parents knew how to work the VHS player, but are clueless with a DVD…(teaching my Dad how to text was an experience too). It’s definitely a generation thing with technology ‘savy’ness.
I remember when AIM was incredibly popular. I would just get online, surf the Internet, and talk to all my school friends. I lost interest in it in tenth grade. Then, when I came to CNU, I had a couple of friends who told me I needed to get back into it to stay in touch. I did, but I was never on as much as they were. Finally, this year, I never used it and as the year went on, my friends used it less and less. It is funny how our communication preferences change as we get older. I still feel as though instant messaging is popular for younger generations, but as we get older, we become more “on the move.” It is easier to communicate through Facebook, email, text messaging, and calling rather than sitting online waiting for someone to send us a message.
I really do not like how some people get in social situations and instead of being in the moment and enjoying the company of others, they spend all of their time staring at their cell phone, texting back and forth with other people. I understand if someone does it every once and while, but when he or she is constantly texting, it sends the message that he or she would rather be in the company of others.
I think that how one uses new technologies and media not only differs by race, gender, or class, but also just by what your interests are. For example, if I had to choose one form of media for the rest of my life I would choose reading because I love being able to put my own images of characters and places in my head, but if you asked my roommate which medium she would choose she would say movies because she loves to analyze the different scenes and characters if each movie, yet were both white females from the same class status, we just have different personalities and interest. Though, like the reading said how one uses media can change by class and gender, for example, Caucasian people tend to use the Internet more because they have more access to it and now younger women are using the Internet more than younger men. One possibility for this is because of all the new things you can do on the Internet, like online shopping and IMing…which is a good way to keep connected to your friends and since women are more interested in maintaining their relationships this could be a reason why they use the Internet more. The article also mentioned, though, that men go online more frequently than women for more information and entertainment, which could be because of their higher job status. More men have authoritative job positions that could possibly need more Internet access, while more women are stay at home moms who do not use the computer as frequently.
I think I use the computer more than my male friends definitely, especially with Facebook, because my experience and what I have seen girls are more interested in Facebook which could be because of their desire to stay connected with their friends. For example, my boyfriend rarely has new comments on his wall and when I asked him why he said it was because when people write on his wall he usually never writes them back, and he only checks his Facebook like once a day so it takes him longer to respond. I on the other hand, as bad as it sounds, check Facebook a lot during the day because I like seeing new things people posted and it is just something entertaining for me. My parents were also like Kristen’s in that my dad knows more about computers and knows all the different software and stuff install into a computer. I luckily took a few computer science classes so I would say I know my way around a computer well enough to access different software, but I do know some of my girlfriends are totally confused when it comes to using the computer.
Other technology that I think I use differently than males is the phone. To me, my phone is like my life line. I need it by me all the time and I am constantly texting or calling someone on it, whereas, my guy friends do not use it as much, especially the calling part. It is so hard for me to get my boyfriend on the phone because like most guys he hates talking on the phone and prefers texting. Guys just aren’t as interested in communicating that way; they rather use IM or texting because I guess it is more comfortable for them? I never really figured that one out. For the guys in the class, why do you think men do not like talking on the phone and prefer texting?
My phone is also my life and I agree guys just don’t communicate in the same way. One of my guy friends didn’t start texing until very recently and it always drove him crazy if I would text him instead of calling him!
I definitely agree that men use ways to communicate that don’t actually involve talking. I asked my boyfriend why and he said it just made him uncomfortable. Maybe this is because you can spend more time replying using AIM and texting and can choose more carefully what they say. Men tend to be a bit more guarded then women so maybe this is why they choose nonverbal communication.
haha yea thats what my boyfriend said…he doesn’t feel as comfortable talking on the phone and it’s just boring having to talk a lot on the phone. He much rather talk on aim.
Me and my boyfriend do a lot of our communicating via text message rather than talking on the phone. It is just easier for us to relay those little messages, and its easier to say the little hellos, goodbyes, and I love yous, instead of having to call just to say it. Especially when we live such busy lives.
So that’s exactly how my boyfriend is too. He sounds so uncomfortable on the phone and is always so eager to get off. I could talk for hours though and not run out of anything to say. I had always imagined that a great boyfriend was supposed to be able to talk to their girl till the wee hours of the morning, but now that I understand the dif’s between males and females and reading all of yall’s posts, I know that him not loving talking over the phone is pretty normal for a guy.
Remember the chapter about women being more relational, whereas males tend to have a more information-oriented agenda. This could be why women are more comfortable (or can talk longer) on the phone while men may use the phone to inquire about or relay particular information. Women communicate to learn about each other and build relationships and men communication for a specific purpose.
I also think females use facebook more because they are more interested in who is up to what.
I agree with sbarmstrong regarding how men use communication to relay information while women use it to build relationships, therefore men prefer to just send a quick text or message to someone whereas women prefer to talk on the phone a great deal. I also agree with flipmyflops06\’s comment about men being more guarded. I have some male friends that rarely talk about personal issues with me face-to-face, but they can reveal to me their innermost thoughts and feelings through a text message, Facebook message, IM conversation, etc.
I feel as though for many men who might have insecurities about discussing emotional matters, technology has provided an outlet and a front for them to express themselves without having to worry about any judgments or embarrassments. It\’s frustrating to me because I want my friends to know they do not have to hide behind some screen in order to talk to me about their problems, but at the same time I am understanding that opening up is difficult as it is. To expect more may be too much, too soon.
I love it when new technologies come out. I find them to be fascinating, and I find it to be that typically it is my generation that is constantly trying to be the first to get best new thing out there. My dad and I constantly talk about the first printer and computer that we had in the house. I can even remember the computers that we had at school, the old apples that were just black with green writing. I used to love playing Oregon Trail on that thing. I think it is fascinating to hear the differences in the technologies used between one generation to the next. When it comes to computers, typically it is the younger generation who are the faster typers, and the ones who understand what is happening. My mother is one who still uses only two fingers to do all the typing. She takes her time and pushes one button at a time. She is amazed when my sister and I type with how fast we type.
Another technology that is pretty fascinating are cell phones. My boyfriend’s grandmother has one, and she rarely has it turned on. When she does turn it on, she leaves it in her car, so she never hears it ring, and then by the time she actually remembers it, the battery has died. I personally love the cell phone that I have, it has a QWERTY keyboard, and it is so easy to send text messages on. My generation is so technology oriented that in reality it is hard for us to go one day without using some form of it.
Facebook, twitter, and myspace are just three of the current methods of internet blogging that many generations are using. Some people are using these forms of technology to connect with friends that have moved away, and others are using it to locate people that they are currently getting ready to go to college with. Either way it is a source in which keeps people connected. I have noticed that many girls post a lot of statuses about how their relationships are going. These include romantic, family, and friends. Guys mostly just put what ever they think to be funny at the moment, or what is truly going on at that moment.
I am the same way. I LOVEEE new gadgets. When I read that women usually do not like technology I was shocked. I get so excited to see new technologies. One of my favorite places to see these gadgets are in “Sky Mall.” It is this magazine they give you in airplanes with some cool new gadgets. You should look at it online…beware its addicting.
I have an addiction to Sky Mall too!! I have big plans for when I finally get my own place to have all these cool things like HD TV and TiVo and things like that whereas my boyfriend is always like “those aren’t necessary…why would you need those!?” I definitely think that there are just as many women who are addicted to new technology as there are men.
As with most, I definitely agree that gender, race, and class, has the ability to influence one’s use of technologies. This isn’t directly related but I read a book called Democracy in the Digital Age, where this was discussed. White, middle class citizens have more technology available to them, so as this indicates they use these forms of media more often. As Lauren mentioned, I agree that personal interests greatly influence how one uses the media. One of my best friends is very similar to me, but unlike me, she hates communicating over the internet and feels no need for it. It also is a matter of lifestyle and need. For her, she doesn’t rely on technology to communicate with people she does not regularly see.
I think the idea of young women using the internet more than young men actually works in favor of some gender stereotypes. Most typically think that boys are outside doing work, or playing sports, while girls are inside entertaining themselves. This makes sense as a possible explanation to why more young women use the internet. I do not think it necessarily is because more men are working than women, or women are at home and have free time. I think the explanation lies in how the two genders want to spend free time. It is possible that after a day of work men do not want to get in touch with friends and chat about relationships and problems, they want to do something they enjoy. As we know, women enjoy talking to their friends and receive satisfaction from that, this may be how they prefer to spend their time.
A huge gender difference I have noticed in regards to technology is expectations as to how much each gender should know about the technology. Whenever I have trouble with a TV, DVD player, or computer, I always ask a guy first. I never thought about it until now, but I tend to assume men know more about technology than women. Of course, this really isn’t a fair assumption. I could know just as much, but lack the desire to learn…
I’ve noticed a huge difference in how females verses males use technology. Females are more into facebook and AIM. This goes along with the idea that females use internet for communication, while men use it for information. Several of my girl friends are facebook obsessed, and are total facebook stalkers… I have not noticed this with guys. It may just be that the don’t care what others are doing, and if they needed to know or care they would find out. With facebook, it is very apparent that girls are more likely to update their status. Girls constantly change it to say exactly what they are doing or will be doing. I’ve noticed guys either don’t mess with it at all, or leave the same status up for ages. Guys don’t seem to have the need to keep everyone updated with what they are doing.
Apart from communicating directly to others, I also think girls use the internet to communicate about themselves. Females tend to have more elaborate facebook and myspace pages, that are likely to appeal to others and gain attention.
That’s funny that you mention that you ask men first about technology…it made me think about how in classrooms teachers always ask a boy why the projectors aren’t working, never the girls.
ya know, you’re so right! I didn’t think about that at first, but now that you mention it, it’s definitely true.
I go to a guy about technology first too. When I moved into Santoro to be an RA, I had problems with getting my TV to work. I asked one of my male residents without even thinking. I always went to my male residents when I had problems with technical things….I have never realized it until now. Perhaps that goes along with men dominating the computer science world…
I always go to guys whenever my electronics aren’t working. I just assume (and its kind of through experience) that girls won’t know what to do either. And it seems that even if he doesn’t know right away how to fix it he can figure it out a lot faster than I ever could.
There was a girl who lived on my girlfriend\’s hall this past year, and whenever there was a problem, she would just shout, \”BOYS!\” expecting one of the boys on the hall to come to her rescue. If one did not come, she went and got one. This includes technological failures, big-bug-in-the-room failures, something breaking, etc. One time when I was fixing something of my girlfriend\’s, she was around and I asked if she could do something for me, and she said, \”Hold on, let me get one of the boys…\”
It was quite funny, actually.
I also found the articles very interesting, and like Jessie I don’t really agree with them. I believe everyone uses technology differently so I don’t really feel all the statistics could be correct because of this. For instance my mother has never really used the computer and she has no desire to because she would rather write a letter than an email. My father only uses his computer for email at work. I think technologies effect each generations. For instance our generation probably uses the internet the most. We have email, facebooks, twitter, myspace, youtube, blogs, online classes, and more!
In my opinion I think girls use facebook more often than guys, which goes along with women being more emotional and more connected. Girls constantly are uploading pictures, changing our status, writing on each other walls, and guys probably check their facebook half as much as girls do at least my guy friends do.
I also believe that girls use their phones twice as often as girls do. I am constantly on my phone I never turn it off! My mother is the same way she is constantly on the phone with her friends.
Another form of technology would be television. My father is completely addicted to them. Anytime a new HD something or another comes out he wants to buy it. My brother is the same way.
I think both men and women use technology equally we just use it in different ways.
This was a great way to sum it up. I agree with you in that we use technology for some of the same reasons, but it’s hard to say across the board this is what men use it for and this is what men use it for.
It amazes me how much our technology has changed just within the last decade. Everything seems to get more compact and better quality with every new system. For example, my family has gone from the massive Windows ’95 PC to the condensed macs, each of us having our own. Now, my mother and I do use them more for staying connected, looking at pictures (and editing them), and listening to music. My brother and father, however, do use them more for information purposes as the book said. Although, there is a definite age gap between the two that impacts how they use their macs. My brother (22 years old) will play online games constantly, listen to music, and compile DVDs from special events. My dad, on the other hand, sticks to the information and doesn’t play music in the background– ever. He likes music, but you won’t find him multitasking like that. At the same time, the two of them both have a better understanding of how the computer works and how to repair it when needed. My mother and I always take our sick computers to them or one of my guy friend’s for healing. I can also recall my massive stereo system I received for Christmas years and years ago. It could hold 51 CDs in it at one time along with two cassette slots. Now we don’t really use CDs, definitely don’t use cassettes, and my stereo is much smaller, but still more advance than my last. TVs are another example. We’ve gone from the massive boxes to thin flat screens. I even hear that you can’t play Duck Hunt anymore unless you have an old TV simply due to the lens of the TV (I of course heard that from my brother and his roommates). While I ask my brother for help hooking up my computer with my stereo, tv, and printer, my mom takes it to a new level and has become increasingly more challenged as technology has advanced. Now she can’t even figure out how to turn the basement TV on (I think there are too many remotes for her or something). I on the other hand was taught by my dad and brother how to work the thing when we got it and am perfectly fine.
Out of the new technologies listed above, I actually only have facebook (unless you count the blog we have for this class). On facebook I find that while it’s used constantly by the younger population (and reaching to the older generations as we speak), it’s more valued by women due to its relational style– keeping in touch with people. We discussed earlier in the class how girls are more likely to have long-term friends: facebook is now a means for us to accomplish that task. My mother and aunt both have facebook, but not my dad or uncles. My parents are leaders of group in my church at home, and while my dad takes care of the more intellectual part (researching as needed on the internet), my mom uses Facebook to plan events and provide pictures of our memories from those events.
I think that if either of my parents would have facebook, it would be my mom, just like yours. She would love the planning aspect and being able to know everything about everyone.
Technology definitely has changed! Its crazy to think of how technology will continue to change and get better in the future.
I think it is interesting that the interaction with the internet, Facebook, and cell phones tend to be different between my female and male friends. Personally, I am on the internet all the time. Even tonight I have literally sat in front of my computer for hours talking to friends that I haven’t seen in awhile when I had originally planned to do my homework and get off as soon as possible. Hence why this post is so close to midnight. 😦 Like me, my female friends get side tracked easily and talk for long periods of time on different chat mediums. My male friends however, usually get on the computer, do what they need to do and get off. Males are not as apt to be on the internet for long periods of time instead of doing something physical.
For me, I have a lot of female friends on Facebook. It seems like they are the majority of people who are constantly writing on other’s walls and making posts. My male friends are only occassionally on and usually do not write back to their wall posts. It seems like they are only interested in posting what they are doing that night or pictures of their accomplishments. For example, the last activity my boyfriends facebook page saw was him posting pictures of his baseball awards and pictures of his car that he has been working on. I do however think that it is interesting that during March a good number of my male friends seemed to always be on the internet and facebook viewing the scores and brakets of the March Madness tournament. Because sports were involved, they were commenting on each others brakets and trash talking each other on facebook.
Lastly I think it is interesting how different males interact with their cell phones than women do. My male friends ALWAYS need to have the newest cell phone. For example, my brother paid to get out of his contract with verizon, switch to AT&T contract where he paid more money a month, and paid for a new phone, just to get the new iphone. Women on the other hand usually hold onto their phone until the best opportunity arises to get a new one or until theirs die. Also, women actually like to talk ON the phone, while men prefer text messaging. Why is that?
I found your last paragraph about how men have to have the newest technology interesting. I know many more guys who are excited about having a new “toy” to exchange information than of women. Perhaps this is related to men enjoying a transfer of information in a effective way, whereas women are less concerned with information transfer as they are with simply being able to stay connected with others.
I believe that both of you are absolutely correct. When a new tech toy comes out both my father and I are like “We got to have it. We got to see what it does.” (Yes horrible grammar) We enjoy seeing the progress that has been made in the information sharing technology but we are kind of odd mad scientist types and are guys that will take it apart if possible just to see what’s on the inside, putting it back together in a way that is works isn’t nearly as important as getting to the shiny stuff on the inside. But it does bolter our ego if we manage to put it back together correctly. Yeah a bit off topic but I just wanted to say I believe your insights were correct and add a short story for the amusement of anyone who reads it.
FIRST I’d like to post a this video about Technological advancements in hopes that it will wow you guys like it did me.
Check It!
http://www.facebook.com/ext/share.php?sid=92083868099&h=pGzsS&u=U3SLN&ref=mf
In my experiences with different media forms I’ve noticed that there are many gender differences. Men mostly do not go on these media outlets as much as women. men see it as less important to know what is going on in peoples lives and enjoy being more active then passive. Women on the other hand don’t mind sitting back and maintaining constant communication. I can speak from expirence that women update their statues and blogs and appearance way more then men do, technology only helps us to perpetuate the vicious cycle. It is unhealthy to stay on twitter or facebook or stair at megan fox for hours because we want her legs.
I’ve seen that video before and it is completely crazy. It shocks me that if myspace were a country it would be the 5th largest… I feel like facebook would rank even higher. The fact that 1 in 8 marriages the couple met online also is surprising. I wonder if there are more women using online dating than men?
Wow! That was a cool video. It makes me wonder, though if eventually we will get to a certain point before there is a decline. It made me think about how I like to follow the news channels and news stories and when I have not watched television for a couple of days, or I have not been online in a couple of days, I feel so overwhelmed at all the information that I have missed out on.
You bring up a good point, Katelyn. Would women use online dating more because they like to use technology to establish connections? Would men use online dating more because it alleviates their discomfort with face-to-face interaction, as being discussed in the previous posts? Rejection is a lot easier over a technological channel than in person.
I vaguely remember the first time internet was discovered. My dad has always been tech savvy and he works with computers for a living so getting the internet was a big deal in our household. I quickly learned how to use the computer because he would by me games to play and show me how to do certain things on the computer. I specifically remember tracking Santa Clause every December on the internet. I believe the website we used still exists today.
I also remember getting my first cell phone. My mom only permitted me to use it when I was dropped off at the movie however. Today we see tons of pre-teens walking around with cell phones glued to their ears and texting.
In terms of gender, I think men and women use social media as a way of gathering information and as a source of entertainment. With how prevalent technology is being incorporated into our lives, it’s hard to say men use it for information and women use it for entertainment. I believe both sexes find pleasure using it for the same reasons. However, I do believe that women use technology more for the purpose of staying connected and updating others on their personal life. I don’t know very many men who have internet access on their phone and a facebook application added so that they can receive updates as soon as they happen. I went out to dinner with a bunch of old girl friends tonight and the majority of them were checking their Facebook accounts, emailing and texting while we were waiting for our food to come.
While I do believe women and men use social media for some of the same reasons, women tend to linger a little bit longer. Men on the other hand have a goal, fulfill it and move on to something more important.
I agree with how you explained men and womens technology usage differences. While they may be used for the same thing such as entertainment, keeping in touch with one another, or obtaining information, generally it seems women tend to take longer expressing or getting across a message while men find a means at solving or responding a problem or replying to a message and leaving it at that.
I love that you are so tech savy! You are always able to help with my question! 🙂
I totally agree with women lingering longer once they get on the computer! Facebook can trap me in for hours!
What you said about younger kids and texting- so true! I got my first cell phone when I was 15 after i got my learner’s permit. One of my friends told me that her 8 year old cousin just got a cell phone for her birthday. 8 year old?! I totally think that younger kids having computer and phone networking as young as 8 years old introduces them to new media stereotypes through those mediums. Which therefore shows that kids are “growing up” much younger these days.
Most tellingly, the authors conclude that new technologies replicate old gender norms grounded in women’s desires for communication as connectivity and men’s need for communication as information. How do your experiences with new technologies and media forms compare? For example, do you notice gender differences in how you and your friends use social media such as Facebook, Twitter, blogs, TiVo, DVRs and so on?
When I first read the question, the very first thing that I thought of was Facebook and a conversation I had with some friends. I use Facebook religiously, almost ridiculously; I love that I can keep in better contact with my cousins from around the country, my best friend studying abroad and my friends at school when I’m at home so very easily. The guys I hang out with mock me for this though, teasing me about how I set up events and get togethers via facebook when they are more apt to text or call someone. I see it as a communication tool and use it to strengthen those bonds that I have formed with people since when you leave a facebook message or post, when they get to it, they get to it; you enver have to worry about calling at an inconvient time or anything like that. The guys in my life use it as a last resort to contact someone or a way to get their phone number if they don’t have it.
The experiences I have with new technologies entering the household and such are a little different than some. I knew “Everything” about the computer and my Dad would pay me to type documents for him since he was all about chicken-pecking the keys. My mom actually taught me how to type correctly and my brother is still a fan of chicken pecking. My mom and i were the more technologically advanced and would be more apt to just surf the net, whereas my dad and brother used the computer for looking up info and playing games, that was it.
My girl friends and I are always teased about how we text each other “what socks we’re wearing” and things like that. More mundane details about our lives as a way to be more connected I guess. The guys just text each other to find out what they’re doing for that night to hang out or something like that, never just finding out what’s up with life.
I think that women do use social media in such a way to be more connected and guys use it as a way to get the info they need and they’re done.
Shoot–forgot to delete the question at the beginning!!!
I somewhat agree that women use technology to stay more connected while men use it for information or entertainment. I used to use the computer and texting a lot more than I do now during high school in order to stay connected with friends. I also see my 17 year old brother doing the same on the computer, but he often plays more games and does more internet surfing that I did when I was on AIM or whatnot.
Now my internet use is to mostly search for information for school. I use facebook some to stay connected with others, but often don’t get on much. My boyfriend uses the internet much more than I do. He is always getting on to look up songs, CD’s, people, games, etc. He looks up things to get information and also uses the computer to play games. Using these experiences, I do agree that men get online more frequently than women and tend to use the internet for informational purposes whereas women use it to stay connected.
My mom and dad don’t use the computer much, but my mom uses it more than my dad. My mom is definitely more comfortable using it and does so mainly for work purposes. She also uses email to stay connected with friends. My dad doesn’t understand much about the computer. He only gets on occasionally to look up information on the internet. My parents don’t fit the norm when it come to amount of computer usage for older people, but the trend of men using the computer for mainly informational purposes and women using it to stay connected is still present.
I think men use technology to communicate but just in a different way than women. It seems like around middle and high school, boys are more comfortable communicating by not actually talking. For example, at that age I remember more AIM and texting with boys that actual phone conversations. My brother also uses texting and AIM more frequently than calling someone.
Although this is definitely stereotypical and there are exceptions to the this, it seems that women typically utilize technology for staying connected with one another. For instance, I often find myself and my girlfriends to be more likely to have a conversation via text message than men are. While men still utilize texting on a regular basis, it’s usually more similar to an exchange in information such as “basketball 7:30”. Typically it seems that is more simply a exchange of information rather than an exchange of more depth or lengthy conversation regarding other matters.
Again, the following is stereotypical. Upon signing on facebook, it seems I often see more females putting on their status some sort of “emotion” or “expression” about what is going on their lives, positive or negative, whereas men are more likely to have something informational written.
I don’t use twitter or blogging, but I know very few males who utilize blogging- while many females do so. This is yet another example of how females use technology for connectivity- as blogs usually are a transfer of information that heavily contain emotions and other such experiences.
While I believe the above examples are entirely stereotypical and are generally accurate when taking into account the majority of males and females, they certainly are not the case for all individuals.
I agree with what you said about how females tend to have much more lenghty conversations while texting than males. When I think about the way men communicate I think of brief to the point conversations. I think that men not only are brief on text messages, but they are brief in person. So, I’m not really sure if men just don’t like texting or if that is just the way that they communicate in general.
When I read this topic I knew it was going to be interesting because I have become an individual that has come to reject new technology (or at least best I can). I have a strong belief that technologies like facebook and texting are taking over our social skills which will lead some of us, especially youth( who learn to social via technology only) down a path in which we lose all real to life social skills. Maybe you think I’m crazy but I think their are a lot of aspects of these things that are creating more problems.
In highschool, I was an avid AIMer, always online, what a great procrastination technique isn’t it? Until recently I was still always on, but never really talking to people, it was like the window was just part of my computer background. Now however, it is rare and an unlikely form of communication. Facebook, i was once addicted to, haha.
I find most of people’s conclusions about facebook and gender to be correct. Most of my girlfriends use or used facebook religously. All the time, I think for girls, its another way of gossiping. Just by clicking your way through the pages you can some how find out which member of your graduating class now has a kid, or if your ex is dating anyone, or if your high school rival gained 20 lbs. For guys though, its more recreational , not a way of life. The biggest way I know this is how often it becomes a topic of conversation. I cannot tell you how many conversations I have had with a girl that has something to do with being on facebook, she either saw something, or talked to someone, or something with facebook. But I can’t recall any conversations with a guy that dealt with facebook.
One thing I find interesting about facebook, is how key it is to our social life. I cannot tell you how many “events” I haven’t known about because I wasn’t on facebook. Meaning, the only way you get an invite is if you’re on the web. A day before, someone will ask me if I’m going to such and such and I’ll have no idea what they’re talking about it. Its gotten rid of personalization with people. How much more does it say if you pick up the phone and call someone, rather then sending them a facebook message?
In terms of new technologies in the home, my house is much farther behind the times then most households. No Tivo, and the computer is basically only used for email and to check the weather. But if anything new is going to be used, my brother is the first to get it, then me, and eventually I’ll teach my mom, while my dad only knows how to use turbo tax, and his company’s email and stock system. LIke a mentioned before, give him a new email system and he’s totally lost.
I like that you mentioned how facebook has gotten rid of personalization with people. My family was actually discussing how technological advances such as texting, AIM (back in the day… haha), and facebook have hindered our generation. That may not be true for everyone, but for some, they haven’t learned how to communicate in person and carry on a conversation. You also miss out on the non-verbal communication, and we all know how vital and influential that is. I mean, confusion and hurt can easily arise from these forms of communication because they lack the non-verbal aspect.
I think it is true that some people have not learned how to communicate in person very well. I know a lot of people who would rather say things to people via email or facebook because it is easier that way. I also agree that missing out on non-verbal communication is key. It is hard to interpret what people mean sometimes without those non-verbal cues that are so essential to communication.
My family and technology… oh boy. If my parents had it their way, we’d still be in the stone age. Since my brother got married and moved out, I’m the one in the family to introduce them to all of the new gadgets and technology of today. My parents have come to use the internet more and more in recent years, but it used to be only for solitare, checking the weather, and microsoft word. Both of my parents have out dated cell phones. I recently just taught my dad to text, and he will only text incomplete sentences; it’s rather funny. My mom still doesn’t know how to check her voicemail, let alone send and recieve texts. We just got verizon fios last week, our first step in the area of new TV technology. All of the TVs in our house are over 20 years old.
My dad’s philosiphy is “If it’s not broken, we don’t need a new one.” I think this is a smart concept to follow. With technology today changing rapidly, almost daily, people are buying updated ipods and cell phones left and right. What was wrong with the old phone? I think our generation is wasting soooo much money on the latest technology because the media says that we’ve “gotta have it.”
My parents and myself also seem to follow the gender norms for technological communication. My dad is becoming interested in all the new gadgets coming out in stores. He probably won’t buy any of them, but he finds them very fascinating. My mom just doesn’t understand technology. I help her with just about everything on the computer. She follows the feminine norm of using it to interact with people and learn more about them. I show her pictures on facebook sometimes that I’ve posted and she wants to know who is who, what we’re doing, etc. just for curiosity purposes. She also is a big phone talker. She can sit in her bed all day and just talk on the phone with her friends. This fits what the text says about women needing interaction (even though its not face-to-face) as confirmation of their intimacy.
Therefore, I definitely think my generation is more apt to technological change. I’m inbetween on how I feel about all the new things coming out in stores now. I feel like some technologies are helping us communicate while others are just making us lazy. I know of a few that are also just making us more gossipy. I admit that I am addicted to facebook. I’m on it several times everyday. I love being able to catch up with my friends everyday and see how they’re doing without picking up the phone to call each one. At the same time, it’s become what most people would call “facebook stalking.” And come on, we’re all victims of it. Not only is it printed gossip but it’s making us lazy. Instead of taking the effort to talk to the person flat out and finding out these things about them, we read it on a website they’ve created. I recently gave in and got a Twitter account, which is almost as bad as facebook. Instead of knowing everything about a person, you only know what they’re doing at that moment in time through status updates. I used to be an avid AIM talker, but I rarely use it anymore. It seemed like the big thing to have in middle school, but now it’s dying out. I remember myspace being really popular, but faded out when facebook came along.
I can only imagine what techonology is going to look like in the future. I know that facebook and twitter will eventually fade out just like AIM and Myspace did, and we can only wonder what our kids will be addicted to on the internet in their generation.
Emily, your dad has the same philosophy as mine. His cell phone is at least five years old, if not more (my mom has had 2 new ones in the span that they both bought the one he STILL has.) He say’s it still works and it does what it needs to do. Very practical fathers.
I believe and completely agree with the previous blog, in that the communication of texting and facebook are taking over our world and limiting people to not using their full communication. I must also admit that even though it is taking over the world, I have to text all the time, because for some reason that I do not know I do not want to talk on the phone and this way is much easier to find out the basic information possible.
I have to agree that men and women use the internet differently and on male side of that I use the internet for quick information and then I am done. I do not spend nearly as much time on the internet that I have seen some girls do and I really do not understand what they possibly could be doing. A great example of this is I went to the Port Warwick clubhouse to look up a workout routine, it literally took me at the most five minutes to do so. While I was there, there were two girls looking at facebook and texting all at the same time, a little over an hour and a half I came back to print off an assignment and both of them were still looking at facebook and texting.
New technologies in the household are limited, my parents like their old computer that barely runs but it is good enough to check their e-mail and that’s about it. When I lived at home I was the one who usually had the new technology but my parents never thought it was necessary and that just shows how the generations are changing. While this generation explores and uses new technology, generations of the past do not see any real need in keeping up with the times because what they do works for them.
I agree with what you said in the first part about how facebook and texting are changing communication, and probably not for the better. I think that a lot of young people have become so used to this way of communication that we really don’t know any different. It is crazy to think about how our parents grew up with none of this technology. I can’t imagine not being able to text.
My entire immediate family is tech savvy my dad used to work for and partly own some computer security business and my mom uses computers for her technical drawing programs for her architect job, and I grew up with a computer always available and nearby so I’m not half bad myself. I don’t have any brothers or sisters so im going to have to use my friends as an example about my experiences with new technologies and media forms. Like most that have already posted it seems like the textbook was correct is saying that guys seem to use the internet fairly sparingly, they get one find what they need to do what the need and get off. It seems like my female friends are the ones that are always on the internet talking to friends even if they are only in the other room. Me being me I don’t get it, personally I don’t like the internet very much, I have a facebook but I don’t use it anymore except to use it as a tool to remember my friends birthdays, yes I am really bad at remembering these things. I don’t use aim or myspace anymore and I don’t twitter or blog except for this class, I figure if someone wants to know what I am doing or need to get in contact with me then they can call or come over and talk to me. I know plenty of female friends that use all of these things that I just mentioned, but also many of my guy friends are just the same just not to that degree they may use AIM or facebook all the time but very rarely the rest of that stuff, so in that regard I think females will tent to use the internet more for a communication devise.
With technology such as TiVo DVRs and other stuff like that I think it is male dominated because maybe one or two of my female friends knows how to use any of those type of devices and yet most if not all of my guy friends have them or have used them a few times. I am going to use the iPhone for example I have to friends that have them, one male and one female. I noticed that they use them much differently, the female uses it for music and for calling and texting, I ask her if she uses it for anything else and she said she didn’t know how or care enough to figure it out. My male friend has an application for everything, he uses it all the time, as a GPS a music movies, internet browser testing and many other applications that I cant even fathom what they are for. So in this regard I think that males have an edge over the females. But this is just my interaction with my small group of close friends and it may be completely different that what is going on with everyone else.
As some people have talked about their experience with their first family computer, I reminisce from my own childhood. Back then, my dad and brother knew much more about the technology…I’m not sure if the knowledge was from age or gender, as I am the baby of the family and my mom is usually not interested in change. Now, my brother and I are the experts when it comes to new technology. I will give my parents some credit though as they are pretty good with the computer.
I asked my parents what they use the internet for when thinking about my response to this activity. My dad answered e-mail, weather, banking and bills, games (like Chess), and space news (haha I love my Dad). My mom answered e-mail, shopping, medicine, and recipes. As they both use the net for various things, I have noticed my mom spends twice the amount of time on the net as my dad.
When looking at my facebook news feed, 90% of the activities were from females. The status updates of the males were short, to the point, and lacking emotion such as “fishing” or “I need to find a job”. In comparison, status updates of females displayed more emotion and detail like “I am so perfectly happy” or “got off at 2 and went over to Pleasant Valley for a while. Babysitting at 7 and sleeping in a little bit tomorrow morning.” It is quite a difference.
I agree with others that females tend to use social networking more as means to maintain relationships. In addition, just like a male goes into a store for a specific reason and is in and out in under 15 minutes whereas women tend to browse and look around, I believe the same concept can be related to time spent online.
The biggest difference I have noticed in technology use is in the phone. My brother and my dad use the phone to relay information and, once that information is communicated, the conversation ends. When my mom and I talk, we talk about everything and have a more broad scope of where the conversation goes. For example, if I call my cousin to set up a lunch date, we don’t make plans until we have talked about our day, weekend plans and school.
I definitely think there are differences when it comes to the way that females and males use gender. In high school I was friends with mostly guy friends. I love texting, but they only really ever texted if they needed to find out a time or what was going on. My cell phone is my life. I could not live without it. I send and receive about 10,000 text messages a month. Crazy I know, I will admit, I am addicted. In my defense I’ve been a full time student at two colleges for the past two years and during my eight hour classes at TCC there was really nothing else to do. When I text my guy friends, with the exception of my boyfriend, the conversation usually lasts only a few texts, but when I text my girl friends we have much more indepth conversations. A lot of my guy friends think that it is crazy for me to sit and text when I could call someone for five minutes and have the same conversation much faster. In the past few years as phones and technology have developed, texting has become much more popular. I think texting has changed the way people communicate. People say a lot of things over text messages that they would never say in face to face conversations. I’m not really sure if this is a good thing or not, but either way I love texting.
I definitely see a difference between genders when it comes to facebook. Guys use facebook to keep in touch and with people for the most part. I think girls get much more in depth with facebook. They tend to post more pictures than guys, and have much more in depth conversations. I think girls also tend to “facebook stalk” a lot more often than guys. I use facebook, but I’m not that crazy in to it. Some of my friends sit on it for hours and look at random people’s pictures or profiles. They know people just from facebook because they look at profiles of people they don’t know. I’m sure that guys do this too, but I don’t think they do it as much as girls.
In general the way that guys use technology is much more for entertainment and information than communication. Girls use technology for communication much more than for entertainment. I think that a lot of girls see communication through technology as a form of entertainment, but a lot of guys don’t see it that way. I think that as technology continues to develop it will continue to have a huge impact on the way that people communicate.
Your first paragraph about how you and your girlfriends can carry on conversations made me think that perhaps text messaging has replaced instant messaging. It further relates to the idea that we enjoy communication \”on the move\” or \”on the go\” because we can communicate while still being engaged in other activities.
I enjoyed reading the articles about gender influencing the way in which people use technology. It was something I had honestly never really thought about before. I mean I have noticed that certain aspects of technology are meant to appeal to a certain audience. But, after reading them I had a comparison of the guys and girls I know running through my head.
Practically everyone I know (my age) has some technical gadget of some sort and usually one is one them at all times either a cell phone, ipod, laptop, etc. What surprises me is how many younger children are getting so involved and wrapped up in technology. For example, I think that an elementary school student having a cell phone or lap top is absurd. When I was in elementary school I was rarely even allowed to use the computer and if I did it was for something educational. Older people (retired age +) seem to have cell phones and maybe some computer skills but aren’t really keeping up with the digital age. For working ages people, they are usually up to date about all the new gadgets because many jobs require them to use them (or a computer at least). But I have notice that if you don’t grow up with the advanced technology it is much harder to learn later. For example, my dad is a business man, so all through college and throughout his career he has had to work with technology daily. My mom on the other other hand is a teacher, she never had any computer training or experience with computers until our family got our first one. So, she lacks technology skills. And there seems to be a pattern that if someone is technologically advanced with one gadget they generally are good with another and if you aren’t good with a computer you generally aren’t good with much other technology.
Focusing on the computer, I feel that the primary use by both genders is communicating. But I agree with what another student said (even though it contradicts the authors opinion) about men being more likely to search stuff on the internet. Anytime I find out a new website, it is usually from a guy. They seem to spend more time looking things up and visiting different sites. My girlfriends and I seem to go to the same sites over and over again (facebook, online shopping, celebrity sites). Also, when there is a problem with my computer I would automatically ask one of my guy friends about it. I guess I just assume that since they spend more time playing around on it that they would know more about the in and outs of it. They always seem to know about the new programs and downloads, how to make things run faster, and other issues that I would have no clue about how to handle.
I think the authors’ comments on gender and technology pretty accurately describe me and the people in and surrounding my life. They said that older men use the internet more than older women, which is a perfect example of my mom and dad. My dad is on the computer for countless hours a day just researching, learning, and surfing the net. My mom on the other hand does not even know the difference between the Google search bar and the web address bar. The idea that young women use the internet more than young men begs the question what are they using the internet for? I agree with most of you that females use the internet and technology more for communicating and staying in touch, while men use it more for information and entertainment purposes. I get on Facebook on a daily basis, but my boyfriend only checks it once every 2 weeks. My boyfriend on the other hand reads and posts to fishing forums every day…multiple times a day, which is something I have never done. Based on what we use the internet for, I would have to agree with the belief that females use the internet more for communication and connection while males use it more to obtain information.
When thinking about other technologies we use to communicate, I agree with Lauren that men would rather text than talk over the phone. I would rather talk to my girlfriends on the phone because it feels more personal and I can actually hear the inflections in their voices so I know exactly what they’re talking about. My boyfriend though, he sounds almost uncomfortable when we talk on the phone for a long time. He would rather text me to see how I’m doing rather than call me. This goes along with the belief that women are taught to be more social and better communicators than men are.
Reading through several of the responses, I could not help but think of how when I am on Facebook, most of the activity of my male friends is spent fiddling with applications such as MafiaWars and quizzes while most of the activity of my female friends is spent commenting on photos, writing on others’ walls, and updating their statuses. While there are always exceptions to the norm, I find that there is overwhelming evidence that men typically use technology and social media as a means of information and entertainment whereas women typically use them as a means of building and maintaining relationships.
I am the typical male user of social media in some ways and different in others. I rely on the Internet a great deal in terms of gaining information. I love surfing news sites and blogs to read up on what is going on in the world. When I am not searching for news online, I am flipping between news channels on TV trying to catch the latest news.
I am different from the typical male user in how I use Facebook. I do not watch that much TV programming, so I have never really used TiVo or DVRs. I do not use Twitter, and I do not have my own blog, but I enjoy visiting others’. However, Facebook and I have a special relationship. I tend to visit Facebook at least twice every day and “stalk” on other’s activities as a means of catching up with others and seeing what is going on in others’ lives. Even though I use it to keep in touch with other people as well, I am awful when it comes to replying to wall posts and inbox messages. I often do not respond to them until a day or even a week after the message has been sent to me. It seems that I use Facebook more as an information tool than a connection tool. I am more interested in following up on people’s birthdays, events that are going on, and activities that other people are doing. I care more about staying informed than staying in touch.
Technology has definitely improved our communication skills for men and women all over the world. Now i cannot totally agree with what the authors concluded in that Women use technology more for connectivity while men use it for information. I feel that it has a lot to do with not only gender but age as well. For instance, my family did not have a computer for a long time. Even when all of my friends families were getting there computers we didnt. When we did finally get one, me and my 2 older siblings were always on it. We figured everything out about a computer before my mom or dad. Now that technology has been around for awhile my dad has become very familiar with a computer and uses it for many things. Mostly email but to look up music and other things well. So i would say communication and information. My mom on the other hand to this day still cannot turn on a computer. Some of my friends families are the same way, their dad knows how to use it however there mothers are not as skilled.
Cell phones are the same way. I feel women a lot of times get stereotyped for always talking on the phone. Again my dad has had a cell phone for years now. And us kids as well. My mom to this day doesnt have a cell phone and doesnt know how to work anyone elses. But as i said i feel this is an age matter more then a gender issue. Males and Females these days use their cell phones everyday because that is how we are being brought up, in a technological era. Our parents werent brought up with these gadgets, for the parents that need to use these for their jobs, well yea they are becoming more adapt, but for those who really dont HAVE to have them, then they are kind of left behind.