Splashing Pink in Technology: Highlighting Young Women’s Participation in Social Media Production
Keywords:
social media, motivation, gender, surveyAbstract
This study seeks to examine gender differences in social media production, which can highlight young women’ relationships with digital technologies and identify a potential way to use social media to increase young women’s interests in technology. Applying self-determination theory and using an online survey of young social media content creators (N = 545) who are 15-24 years old, findings from this study indicate that young women are actively participating in graphic production and have interests in beauty and fashion while young men were more active in video production and producing content about gaming and sports. In addition, extrinsic motivation, especially tangible rewards, played a significant role in motivating young women to engage in social media production. The implications for recognizing social media as significant technology activities and their potential to positively support young women’s exploration of interests are discussed.
References
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Eseryel, D., Law, V., Ifenthaler, D., Ge, X., & Miller, R. (2014). An investigation of the interrelationships between motivation, engagement, and complex problem solving in game-based learning. Educational Technology & Society, 17(1), 42-53.
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Koutsogiannis, D., & Adampa, V. (2012). Girls, identity and agency in adolescents' digital literacy practices. Journal of Writing Research, 3(3), 217-247. doi:10.17239/jowr-2012.03.03.4
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Li, N., & Kirkup, G. (2007). Gender and cultural differences in internet use: A study of China and the UK. Computers & Education, 48(2), 301.
Liu, W. C., Wang, C. J., Kee, Y. H., Koh, C., Lim, B. C., & Chua, L. (2014). College students’ motivation and learning strategies profiles and academic achievement: a self-determination theory approach. Educational Psychology, 34(3), 338-353.
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Pan, Y., & Gauvain, M. (2012). The continuity of college students' autonomous learning motivation and its predictors: A three-year longitudinal study. Learning and Individual Differences, 22(1), 92-99.
PayScale (2017). Tech and the gender pay gap. Retrieved from: https://www.payscale.com/data-packages/gender-pay-gap/women-in-tech
Radway, J. A. (1991). Reading the Romance : Women, Patriarchy, and Popular Literature. Chapel Hill: The University of North Carolina Press.
Ryan, R. M., & Deci, E. L. (2000). Intrinsic and extrinsic motivations: Classic definitions and new directions. Contemporary Educational Psychology, 25(1), 54-67. doi:10.1006/ceps.1999.1020
Ryan, R. M., & Deci, E. L. (2000). Self-determination theory and the facilitation of intrinsic motivation, social development, and well-being. American Psychologist, 55(1), 68-78. doi:10.1037/0003-066X.55.1.68
Seligson, H. (2016, June 7). Why are more women than men on Instagram? The Atlantic. Retrievd from: https://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2016/06/why-are-more-women-than-men-on-instagram/485993/
Smith, L. R., & Sanderson, J. (2015). I'm going to Instagram It! An analysis of athlete self-presentation on Instagram. Journal of Broadcasting & Electronic Media, 59(2), 342-358. doi:10.1080/08838151.2015.1029125
Srinivasan, R. (2012). Rethinking digital cultures and divides: The case for reflective media. Information Society, 28(1), 24-36. doi:10.1080/01972243.2011.630775
Stern, S. (1999). Adolescent girls' expression on Web home pages: Spirited, sombre and self-conscious sites. Convergence, 5(4), 22-41.
UNESCO (2016). What do we mean by “youth”? Retrieved from: http://www.unesco.org/new/en/social-and-human-sciences/themes/youth/youth-definition/
U.S. Department of Labor. (2015). Current population survey: Detailed occupation by sex and race. Bureau of Labor Statistics
Vansteenkiste, M., Simons, J., Lens, W., Sheldon, K. M., & Deci, E. L. (2004). Motivating learning, performance, and persistence: the synergistic effects of intrinsic goal contents and autonomy-supportive contexts. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 87(2), 246-260.
Wei, L., & Hindman, D. B. (2011). Does the digital divide matter more? Comparing the effects of new media and old media use on the education-based knowledge gap. Mass Communication and Society, 14(2), 216-235. doi:10.1080/15205431003642707
Williams, D., Yee, N., & Caplan, S. E. (2008). Who plays, how much, and why? Debunking the stereotypical gamer profile. Journal of Computer-Mediated Communication, 13(4), 993-1018. doi:10.1111/j.1083-6101.2008.00428.x
Wright, R. (2014, October 28). Rebecca Wright on the ratio of girls with design degrees vs. those in the industry. It’s Nice That. Retrieved from: http://www.itsnicethat.com/articles/rebecca-wright
Yau, H. K., & Cheng, A. F. (2012). Gender difference of confidence in using technology for learning. Journal of Technology Studies, 38(2), 74-79.
Young, M. R. (2005). The motivational effects of classroom environment in facilitating self - regulated learning. Journal of Marketing Education, 27(1), 25-40.
Baym, N. (2010). Personal connection in the digital age. Cambridge, UK: Polity Press.
Behm-Morawitz, E., & Mastro, D. (2009). The effects of the sexualization of female video game characters on gender stereotyping and female self-concept. Sex Roles, 61(11/12), 808-823.
Blattberg, E. (2015, April 24). The demographics of YouTube, in 5 charts. DigiDay. Retrieved from: https://digiday.com/media/demographics-youtube-5-charts/
Byerly, C. M. (Ed.). (2013). The palgrave international handbook of women and journalism. New York, NY: Palgrave Macmillan.
Chandler-Olcott, K., & Mahar, D. (2003). 'Tech-savviness' meets multiliteracies: Exploring adolescent girls' technology-mediated literacy practices. Reading Research Quarterly, 38(3), 356-385. doi:10.1598/RRQ.38.3.3
Choi, G. Y., & Behm-Morawitz, E. (2019). Discovering hidden digital producers: Understanding motivation and creativity in social media production. Psychology of Popular Media Culture. doi: 10.1037/ppm0000240
Choi, G. Y. (2016). “Who run the music? Girls!”: Examining the construction of female digital musicians’ online presence. Popular Music & Society. doi:10.1080/03007766.2016.1174419
Conlin, L., McLemore, D. M., & Rush, R. A. (2014). Pinterest and female sport fans: Gaining a foothold in the male-dominated sport world. International Journal of Sport Communication, 7(3), 357-376.
Coppa, F. (2006). A brief history of media fandom. In K. Hellekson and K. Busse (Eds.). Fan fiction and fan communities in the age of the Internet (pp. 41-59). Jefferson, NC: McFarland.
Corbin J, Strauss A. (2008). Basics of qualitative research: techniques and procedures for developing grounded theory. 3rd ed. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications, Inc.
Deci, E. L. (1971). Effects of externally mediated rewards on intrinsic motivation. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 18(1), 105-115. doi:10.1037/h0030644
Deci, E. L., & Ryan, R. M. (1985). Intrinsic motivation and self-determination in human behavior. New York: Plenum.
Denner, J. & Campe, S. (2008). What do girls want? What games made by girls can tell us. In Y. Kafai, C. Heeter, J. Denner, & J. Sun (Eds.), Beyond Barbie and Mortal Kombat: New perspectives on girls and games. Cambridge, MA: MIT Press.
Döring, N. & Mohseni, M. R. (2018). Male dominance and sexism on YouTube: results of three content analyses. Feminist Media Studies. doi:10.1080/14680777.2018.1467945
Duffy, B. E. (2015). Gendering the labor of social media production. Feminist Media Studies, 15(4), 710-714. doi:10.1080/14680777.2015.1053715
Eseryel, D., Law, V., Ifenthaler, D., Ge, X., & Miller, R. (2014). An investigation of the interrelationships between motivation, engagement, and complex problem solving in game-based learning. Educational Technology & Society, 17(1), 42-53.
Frisby, C. M. & Aubrey, J. S. (2012). Race and genre in the use of sexual objectification in female artists' music videos. Howard Journal of Communications, 23(1), 66-87. doi: 10.1080/10646175.2012.641880
Gottfried, A. E., Fleming, J. S., & Gottfried, A. W. (2001). Continuity of academic intrinsic motivation from childhood through late adolescence: A longitudinal study. Journal of Educational Psychology, 93(1), 3-13. doi:10.1037/0022-0663.93.1.3
Grefe, R. (2011, November 03). What the U.S. census says about the design workforce. AIGA, The Professional Association for Design. Retrieved from: http://www.aiga.org/what-the-us-census-says-about-the-design-workforce/
Guay, F., Vallerand, R. J., & Blanchard, C. (2000). On the assessment of situational intrinsic and extrinsic motivation: The situational motivation scale (SIMS). Motivation & Emotion, 24(3), 175-213.
Harlan, M., Bruce, C. S., & Lupton, M. (2012). Teen content creators: Experiences of using information to learn. Library Trends, 60, 567-585.
Jenkins, H., Purushotma, R., Weigel, M., Clinton, K., & Robison, A. J. (2009). Confronting the challenges of participatory culture: Media education for the 21st century. Cambridge, MA: MIT Press.
Kaye, L. K., & Pennington, C. R. (2016). “Girls can't play”: The effects of stereotype threat on females' gaming performance. Computers in Human Behavior, 59202-209. doi:10.1016/j.chb.2016.02.020
Kearney, M. C. (2016). Girls make media. New York, NY: Routledge.
Kirkpatrick, H., & Cuban, L. (1998). Should we be worried? What the research says about gender differences in access, use, attitudes, and achievement with computers. Educational Technology, 38(4), 56–61.
Koutsogiannis, D., & Adampa, V. (2012). Girls, identity and agency in adolescents' digital literacy practices. Journal of Writing Research, 3(3), 217-247. doi:10.17239/jowr-2012.03.03.4
Lange, P. G. (2015). Kids on YouTube: Technical identities and digital literacies. Walnut Creek, CA: Left Coast Press, Inc.
Lauzen, M. M. (2019). The celluloid ceiling: Behind-the-scenes employment of women on the top 100, 250, and 500 films of 2018. Center for the Study of Women in Television and Film. Retrieved from: https://womenintvfilm.sdsu.edu/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/2018_Celluloid_Ceiling_Report.pdf
Li, N., & Kirkup, G. (2007). Gender and cultural differences in internet use: A study of China and the UK. Computers & Education, 48(2), 301.
Liu, W. C., Wang, C. J., Kee, Y. H., Koh, C., Lim, B. C., & Chua, L. (2014). College students’ motivation and learning strategies profiles and academic achievement: a self-determination theory approach. Educational Psychology, 34(3), 338-353.
Lynch, M. (2018, June 14). How to revolutionize STEM education amongst millennials via social media channels. The Edvocate. Retrieved from: https://www.theedadvocate.org/how-to-revolutionize-stem-education-amongst-millennials-via-social-media-channels/
Mazzarella, S. R. (2005). Girl wide web 2.0: Revising girls, the Internet, and the negotiation of identity. New York, NY: Peter Lang Publishing.
Moore, R. J. (2014, May 7). Pinners be pinnin’: How to justify Pinterest’s $3.8B valuation. RJMetrics. Retrieved from: https://blog.rjmetrics.com/2014/05/07/pinners-be-pinnin-how-to-justify-pinterests-3-8b-valuation/
Pan, Y., & Gauvain, M. (2012). The continuity of college students' autonomous learning motivation and its predictors: A three-year longitudinal study. Learning and Individual Differences, 22(1), 92-99.
PayScale (2017). Tech and the gender pay gap. Retrieved from: https://www.payscale.com/data-packages/gender-pay-gap/women-in-tech
Radway, J. A. (1991). Reading the Romance : Women, Patriarchy, and Popular Literature. Chapel Hill: The University of North Carolina Press.
Ryan, R. M., & Deci, E. L. (2000). Intrinsic and extrinsic motivations: Classic definitions and new directions. Contemporary Educational Psychology, 25(1), 54-67. doi:10.1006/ceps.1999.1020
Ryan, R. M., & Deci, E. L. (2000). Self-determination theory and the facilitation of intrinsic motivation, social development, and well-being. American Psychologist, 55(1), 68-78. doi:10.1037/0003-066X.55.1.68
Seligson, H. (2016, June 7). Why are more women than men on Instagram? The Atlantic. Retrievd from: https://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2016/06/why-are-more-women-than-men-on-instagram/485993/
Smith, L. R., & Sanderson, J. (2015). I'm going to Instagram It! An analysis of athlete self-presentation on Instagram. Journal of Broadcasting & Electronic Media, 59(2), 342-358. doi:10.1080/08838151.2015.1029125
Srinivasan, R. (2012). Rethinking digital cultures and divides: The case for reflective media. Information Society, 28(1), 24-36. doi:10.1080/01972243.2011.630775
Stern, S. (1999). Adolescent girls' expression on Web home pages: Spirited, sombre and self-conscious sites. Convergence, 5(4), 22-41.
UNESCO (2016). What do we mean by “youth”? Retrieved from: http://www.unesco.org/new/en/social-and-human-sciences/themes/youth/youth-definition/
U.S. Department of Labor. (2015). Current population survey: Detailed occupation by sex and race. Bureau of Labor Statistics
Vansteenkiste, M., Simons, J., Lens, W., Sheldon, K. M., & Deci, E. L. (2004). Motivating learning, performance, and persistence: the synergistic effects of intrinsic goal contents and autonomy-supportive contexts. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 87(2), 246-260.
Wei, L., & Hindman, D. B. (2011). Does the digital divide matter more? Comparing the effects of new media and old media use on the education-based knowledge gap. Mass Communication and Society, 14(2), 216-235. doi:10.1080/15205431003642707
Williams, D., Yee, N., & Caplan, S. E. (2008). Who plays, how much, and why? Debunking the stereotypical gamer profile. Journal of Computer-Mediated Communication, 13(4), 993-1018. doi:10.1111/j.1083-6101.2008.00428.x
Wright, R. (2014, October 28). Rebecca Wright on the ratio of girls with design degrees vs. those in the industry. It’s Nice That. Retrieved from: http://www.itsnicethat.com/articles/rebecca-wright
Yau, H. K., & Cheng, A. F. (2012). Gender difference of confidence in using technology for learning. Journal of Technology Studies, 38(2), 74-79.
Young, M. R. (2005). The motivational effects of classroom environment in facilitating self - regulated learning. Journal of Marketing Education, 27(1), 25-40.
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2021-05-28
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