The Social Media Gender Gap

Women vs. Men online

The future is pink and flowery for online social media it is predicted. I’m sure you could have already told me that you use Facebook much more than your little brother but research shows that social media with sites such as Twitter, Facebook and MySpace is dominated by women of all ages. Not the teeny boppers but women between 35 to 50 are increasingly loving these sites at the moment. Don’t believe me? Then check out Twitter Moms.  Men usually dominate new technology but as I’m sure you’ll agree us girls take the fore front in social skills.

64% OF MY SPACE USERS ARE FEMALE 36% ARE MALE

One major question is why aren’t the men going online? We all know they spend just as much or more time in front of a computer than women so what’s stopping them from logging in? Maybe they just prefer Grand Theft Auto or fhm.com but figures also suggest that men, knowing how much girls love it are going on to social media sites just to meet women.

NING IS 59% FEMALE

This takes us on to another point. Once married barely any men use Facebook or My Space, my Dad certainly doesn’t. While these are great ways for house wives to look up what their daughters up to or keep up with friends from their living room.

42 MILLION US WOMEN USE SOCIAL MEDIA

It is argued that men look at things in a much more transactional way. What can I get out of this? So poker and gambling websites have a much stronger appeal. It makes sense. When did your Dad or your boyfriend last invite all his mates around for a cup of tea and a chat? We go shopping, to bars or have tea and coffee together to build relationships, find out what other people are up to and tell people what’s going on. Boys are much more likely to go for a game of football or poker. They don’t complain if someone hasn’t filled them in on all the gossip about their girlfriend. It also explain why less primarily social sites like YouTube and LinkedIn are used equally by men and women.

As marketers and advertisers click on to this they will target women much more through social media. A great example of this is the media’s concern that fewer women were reading the newspapers of taking an interest in the news. News updates on twitter or newspaper Facebook pages are a great way of pulling girls back in. I realise this is an oversimplified gender stereotype but the fact that so many more women use social media than men shows its not something that should be blocked at work, but worked with to reach out to primarily women.

More information and further reading:

http://www.businessweek.com/technology/content/may2008/tc20080516_580743.htm
http://www.niemanlab.org/2009/10/women-use-social-media-more-than-men-whats-news-orgs-response/

Image by Ed Yourdon

Social Media