Strand 2: Units 5 and 6

I feel like I probably have two of the most exciting/controversial units to talk about: women and the internet, and cyberporn and cybersex.

Unit 5 talks about women's role on the internet.  A key term to remember is Digital Gender Divide which is the inequity of a women's access to the internet compared to men.  Years ago, women were rarely ever on the internet and had little access to media and communication.  Men were mostly the dominant inhabitants of the web.  Today, women on the internet are the norm rather than the exception.  The unit goes on to talk about gender in gaming and chat.  The majority of games embody a sort of hypermasculintiy which means sexualized women are featured.  However, Lara Croft is an exception to that.  This game is hypersexualized because she is tough and in control.  Statistics show that women are more likely to derive enjoyment from long-term gaming.  Also, they are more likely to engage in online chat and emailing.  With the internet, there are downsides such as cyber violence and online harassment.  Types of violence include cyberstalking, online contacting which leads to offline abuse, and degrading representations.  At the end of the unit, it discusses how CMC is used in poor nations.  In many regions, women are prohibited to access to media and the internet because it is controlled by men.  However, in some nations, women are working on building online communities between the Global North and South.  CMC is important for these women because it is their way to voice their concerns.

Unit 6 discusses interpersonal attraction and, cybersex and cyberporn all three which are very important issues.  Statistics show that as a result of online romance, one in ten web dates end in bed, one in ten say they are addicted to sex and the internet, and one in three view online porn.  Some reasons why people enjoy meeting others online is because of the promise of meeting the other person in the future, the idea of associating with like-minded people, and to boost his or her self-esteem and humor.  The unit then goes on to discuss cybersex, or "Vsex."  Cybersex is basically erotic messages sent through the computer.  It allows people to express them sexually.  A study showed that 52% of the respondents said they have had cybersex, 36% of whom reported having an orgasm, and 25% said they had faked it.  Online pornography is another big issue.  It revenues millions of dollars.  Cyberporn is also big business.  The book discusses how people or unaware of the effects of pornography because of how much it is lost in the moral and political maze such as the issue of the Time magazine in 1995.  Random fact: almost half of all child sex abuse is committed by parents and almost always by people known to the child.  Overall, sex and pornography is all about relationships and identity, whether it is right or wrong.