Women and the internet: an interpretation of two discourses
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Date
1995-12
Authors
Baum, Alaina M.
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
University of Oregon
Abstract
This thesis reviews feminist theories appropriate for a feminist
analysis of magazine and feminist texts and uses these theoretical
insights as a framework for analyzing how women's under-representation
on the Internet is represented in mainstream magazines and women's online
discourse. The feminist perspective provides the justification for
investigating whether magazine texts are functioning strategically to
justify men's current dominance of the Internet and women's relative
exclusion from this sphere. By comparing magazine and feminist on-line
discourse, this study shows how magazines forward a contradictory
message about the Internet's potential by claiming that universal access
is feasible while neglecting to inform audiences about barriers which
stand in the way of women's access. This comparison also reveals that
magazines are advancing ideologies about women and the Net which are
shaped by gender politics, which are innaccurate according to
contemporary feminists and which work against women's participation on
the Internet.
Description
155 pages