We live in a patriarchal society, I don't think that comes as a surprise to anybody. With that being said, I personally think that the internet and technology not being used wisely can be harmful to both sexes as has been seen with the many tragic cases of cyberbullying. I think the problem is that the media often places more "importance" on females cases and less on male ones because of the belief that men should be tough and these things only happen to women. Sexual violence is, unfortunately, very high in many countries and that is something that we should all work towards controlling and decreasing in the future. As to women's participation in the labor force decreasing I'd say I would have to look more into the data collected and see what specific reasons caused that decline. For example, maybe many women were having children during that time and therefore were temporarily out of the work force; a number of things could influence this kind of statistics.
My question is , is that women can't afford these mobile phone and or they don't have to me on it since somebody has to take care of the family. In addition to that, it is not only women getting harassed over the internet, but so are homosexuals. I personally think guys that like other guys over the internet compared to the women who like over women get it worst than the females.
I found it very unsettling to hear about the rape and death threats that female reporters received online, however I'm not surprised. The anonymity that sitting behind a keyboard on the internet gives people, often encourages them to show the sides of themselves that they wouldn't normally expose.The statistics about the decrease of female workers worldwide is interesting. We expect things to get better over time, and it's puzzling when they don't. Like Karen, I would like to see the data on that and try and figure out exactly what is causing this new trend.
i had mixed reactions while reading this article. I was surprised that people could find a connection between gender and cellphones and the internet. What I found disturbing is the fact that the reporter was being threatened and the issue was nearly glanced at. Cyberbulling is so prevalent in today's society and nothing has really changed. We see it everyday from middle schoolers to professional blog writers. It happens to everyone, yet we're focused on genders gaps.
i had mixed reactions while reading this article. I was surprised that people could find a connection between gender and cellphones and the internet. What I found disturbing is the fact that the reporter was being threatened and the issue was nearly glanced at. Cyberbulling is so prevalent in today's society and nothing has really changed. We see it everyday from middle schoolers to professional blog writers. It happens to everyone, yet we're focused on genders gaps.
The notion that internet use is becoming more and more widespread with the younger generation alarms people as is. However, after reading this article and seeing that the internet is being used to harass and abuse young women, i am even more alarmed by the media and internet culture that is being created.
In today society, this internet and social media is going to bring more harm in a way because people are not either educated enough to prevent dangers or they care becoming careless. As we see on social media in regards to sexual violence and cyber-bullying you must put limits on what your children do. Either parents have to first do training in house to explain the risk or they have to find a way to monitor the social media. Just like there are criminals on the street, there are even more criminals online because they can hide their face more. Females are always going to be primary targets because they are looked as weak and easy. However, girls need to be more educated on identifying and handling each encounter.
After reading this article, I can say that I thought we were at least living in a better place now than it was some years ago. But the reality is that changes in gender equality is a slow process. From high school harassment and cyberbullying to girls to the problems caused by the terrorists attacks as ISIS, women are still been the weak spot. I think that yes it would take some 70 years or so to change these.
This article sadly does not tell me anything that I did not already know in regards to the system that operates not just in the countries we deem "underdeveloped" but also the so called developed nations. The article does not really talk about why the slow process of gender inequality is occurring, but instead focuses on facts that show the lack of process. I believe that one main reason why gender inequality is so hard to stop is because it is based on constructed ideas of what is social expectable for a specific gender but it is deep with in. As in there are rules/ideas that we do not question so when one day people start questioning the set ideas not only do the beliefs that people carry need to change, which it hard to do but also there needs to be a change in the system reversing everything that was previous done. It is just a complicated process that should be done, but might not seem to be important to the leading powers at this period of time.
The Internet has provided a safe haven to express their ideals and spread information under anonymity, if one wishes to remain so. Under this guise, anonymity has also allowed for some of the largest and most horrific bullying of our generation. Being able to hide behind a computer or television screen disassociates the human experience of empathy. We cannot see a person’s reaction when we type that they are inept, or some other form of grotesque insult, we cannot see or feel the pain the is marked in someone face when we sit behind a controller on a video game shouting insults or sexual expletives in order to LEARN the consequences of saying hurtful things. The internet has allowed for the world to gain a greater access to what is happening, in a similar sense as to what video broadcast did during the Vietnam War, but rather than create an experience of awareness, we have created a society of bullying, trolls, and uneducated debate.
This article shed light on one particular thing for me. I have had the viewpoint that globally gender equality has come a long way, and although it has over the past 50 years, it seems that in recent years the world as regressed rather then progress. It was shocking to me to see that the continent that actually has the most progress in recent years is South America. After reading the article, I think it is clear that the focus in furthering women rights needs to be in the Middle East, and Asia.
Gender inequality will continue to increase as technology and society advances. For some reason, these great advancements have little effect on the minds of people around the world, therefore while tasks become easier to complete the attitude and nature toward women will remain slighted. Women around the world still lack basic rights so I am not surprised that they also lack access to the internet and other technologies. I agree with Mlambo-Ngcuka because the internet has just made it easier for people to harass and mistreat women. The internet provides these perpetrators with an outlet that does not require them to leave the comfort of their own homes. The world would rather ignore these issues as countless women and girls continue to be kidnapped, raped, and thrown into slavery. This problem gets masked by the numerous political power play issues concerning money and nuclear weapons. What about the people? What are we doing about the violations of human rights? Nothing, because it’s too difficult and apparently the cost of trying to make a difference is more than the worth of millions of lives. This is a worldwide issue, the focus area is global, yet the only way I see to truly fix this issue is impossible. If there was a reset button, or a way to alter the societal impression of women and their place in society, then things could change for the better.
The issue with gender inequality is that it is almost unchangeable. In a sense, at a young age we are taught how male is not superior to female, but that they are the more dominant sex. Such as how the father is the protector of the family, and the mother is the caregiver in the family. Through a technological standpoint, cyberbullying for example, goes both ways. In this instance I don't believe gender plays a big issue until society makes it an issue. With the example of the girl that committed suicide due to sexual photos involving sexual assault ending up online, and the female journalists that were receiving death threats, it gives women an inferior appearance. If society wants to diminish gender inequality, then we must try to ignore gender as a whole. This brings me back to my point though on how it unchangeable, because we will always see gender, and it will in some way play a role on our actions towards them.
Reading through this article, I realized how truly slow the process of social change actually is. While individuals have been fighting for gender equality for many years, there is still a lot that needs to be done to achieve gender equality. It really upset me reading about how so many cases of cyberbullying, and physical and sexual abuse are being overlooked by the society that we live in. As the author of the article stated, many initiative have been taken, but those initiatives do not equal progress. This is due to the fact that it is easier to start a momentum, rather than keep it going. That is the sad reality of social change, many people are able to get on board with a social issue but it takes a lot more time and commitment to continue this momentum to see a change in society.
Recently, the UMD community was shaken by the racist and sexist contents of a irresponsibly written email. Although the discussion regarding this email has remained mostly unanimous, there remains certain individuals who believe that the writer of the email should be protected under the free speech amendment regardless of the malicious feelings expressed in the writing. President Loh himself has spoken up about the incident claiming that he too was,"struggling with justifying this email as free speech." Without a doubt, the internet has provided society with many social and technical advancements, but one negative setback of the internet is that its anonymity becomes an enabling feature for people to go on a hate speech rampage without thinking of its social consequences. I'm trying to give the student the benefit of the doubt but it's difficult to not wonder if his current repentant state would be so if he had never gotten caught.
Cyberbullying has been an issue ever since social media sites like Myspace and Facebook became part of everyday life. As someone who tries to be as up to date with technology as possible, I utilize social media to the best of my ability; for example, on twitter I follow a diverse array of news viewpoint and personalities to develop my political understanding. I really like having social media at my fingertips, I can say whatever I want to. But with that freedom comes the understanding that others can too. It is a shame that some use that power to harass and abuse people—often times male on female abuse. I cannot tell you how many times men have Facebook messaged me over and over again saying things to sexualize me and claim some sort of ownership over me because maybe I posted a bikini picture or my shirt was cut a little too low. Why as a female does anything I post warrant unsolicited, disgusting comments? And why am I the “bitch” when I politely decline and say I am not interested?
Social media has become a great asset for businesses and corporations. Unfortunately, the majority of teens and some adults use it for cyber bullying. The article states that even though women only represent half of the social media users, they are more likely to be harassed and bullied. It is a very sad truth but like the article says, we still see on the news how gender inequality affects women in other countries. Extremist groups who still think of women as sexual objects instead of humans mistreat them and put their lives at risk. When I first started reading the article I did not think it was relevant. Because I believe that there is more important issues out there than not owning a cellphone. But the article had a way of leading to the big picture, which is violence and harassment towards women. Also, while this article have some very important facts about horrible things happening to women around the world. I feel like also the LGBT community gets bullied and harassed over the Internet. This is becoming a social problem, although gay rights are helping the LGBT community, they still face violence and harassment just like women. Daniel Chevez
Our society has always been male dominated. In recent years women have emerged from beneath the ownership of men and have started to claim there own identities. Equality is being pushed for women in many societies but there are still societies that view women as less than equal to men or even worst as property. In these communities women haven't had the chance to experience life as it is evolving here in the US and other places and are maybe even hidden from this movement because those men fear a rebellion or an uprising from the woman that currently know no other way. Back in the day and still in some societies women were used as property, baby makers, sexually exploited and harassed openly. Today it's more so shunned from the light nevertheless it is still a problem in all societies and until the issue has fully subsided those who submit to the foul behavior will continue to find ways to exploit and harass women with the Internet becoming a new playing field.
Even though cyberbulling has become a lot more popular throughout society as technology advances, it is a problem that has been occurring daily for a long time now. The article mentions how women are at a greater risk online than men and I agree with this assertion to a degree. Many women face sexual abuse online through pictures or words because many offenders know that if you break a women down emotionally you are really affecting them not only internally but also externally. With the advancement in technology, it has been shown that women are now facing more cruel abuse than before because offenders have more resources to hurt their victims. Men also go through online abuse and harassment but the difference to me is that men are not affected by words as much as women are. Men often resort to physical violence to solve their problems, so it is hard to abuse them online with words or pictures; however, it is not impossible. This issue will continue to persist throughout our society because technology has become such a necessity and human beings cannot go a day without using their cell phones or checking their social networks, so opportunities to harass someone online will continue to grow as the years pass.
The statement that in some places it is more dangerous to be a woman than a soldier gets straight to the point of a very important argument in political debate about gender inequality and men's violence against women, and that is that we need to stop looking at hate and violence against women (whether it is on the internet or in person) as a "women's issue" and start look at it in terms of it being a matter of national and international security. And I would say that since it effects such a large percentage of the world's population, it is the biggest threat to national and international security that any nation faces today. And yet we spend billions on the military (for example) but most initiatives such as women's shelters, groups who fight for equal rights etc. struggle to get funding, even from their respective governments. This article just confirms the consequences of a shocking lack of priority for issues affecting the safety and independence of women in general, simply because they are seen as "women's issues". - Malin Niklasson
I think that the internet will always be a direct reflection of where the world is as a whole, just based on the fact that its the only place that people can say what they think without any consequences. That said, this article shows that we all have a long way to go to achieve equality in terms of gender. Cyber-bullying, though, poses such a huge threat in that it only takes one ill-minded person to have a negative impact on a person's livelihood in an anonymous fashion. and because of the state of the world now, it seems as though women are unfortunately taking the brunt of all this malicious intent over the web. It appears as though the only way to fight back is to rely on the internet less in general. - Greg Battista
I agree. Cyber-Bullying always seemed dumb to me until I realized it had real consequences. There was a point at the beginning of high school I noticed a lot of the tv stations would run stories about topics like this. So yeah, the only way to fight back is to cut the opportunity online for bullying, but just like in real life; no one should have to fear someone else.
Gender inequality has escaped the workplace and made its way onto the Internet. Almost unsupervised, the Internet has become a place where women face derogatory language and some instances can escalate into physical violence. In the article, the mentioned “GamerGate.” This particular incident involved “women journalists, developers and critics receiving rape and death threats online.” After I read the links about the incident, I also looked into the case of Rehtaeh Parsons. Both were disgusting to read and to know that women face threats not only in the physical world, but online that can create problems mentally, as they did with Parsons. The world has made improved so much in the last hundred years, but problems like this have existed since societies have formed. For problems like this to still be present weight down the success we have made for gender equality.
The fact that it would take 70 years to close the current wage gap is mind boggling. I would have thought that the number would have been closer to 15 or 20 years with all the relative progress we have been making as a society. I am starting to realize more and more that we have not made as much progress as I would like to believe. The subject of cyber bullying is one that should be taken much more seriously than it is. I believe that people should be held accountable for the things that they post and say online, just as they would for saying them in person. -Damarr Gordon
There's little in this article that can be considered "surprising" - women have always been segregated against even on the Internet, and they've been particularly subject to harassment - but this report is unsettling to think about nonetheless. The GamerGate incident shows us just how far we have to go, even in what we consider more progressive societies; female reporters are recieving rape and death threats over the internet for pushing for greater gender equality. Judging from this article and from other ones like it I've seen on the Internet, I would have to agree with Mlambo-Ngcuka's claim near the end - that "no country in the world can claim to have gender equality".
It doesn't surprise me that women are more often victim to online sexism and, essentially, bullying. The increase in internet use gives people more anonymous courage to criticize and harass others. I think in general, our obsession with the internet and social media and the new craze of posting a million pictures of oneself allows a new forum for people, men and women alike, to harass one another, and more often this falls onto women.
It is hardly surprising that the attacks on women on the internet are sexual in their nature, the internet is a reflection of society and anonymity allows people to express the thoughts and beliefs that are otherwise shameful in democratic societies. As a result sexism, racism, homophobia etc are more present on the internet. In a way this is good thing because these things become harder to neglect, one cannot simply say that sexism or racism doesn't exist when you are overwhelmed by it on the internet. - Visar Berisha
No matter the amount of progress we make through technology we still have so much to work on when it comes to gender inequity. its clear every country has their levels of issues they face when dealing with gender inequality but that doesn't mean we cant make a difference. only through education can we combat issues such as this one.
Women have always fallen short of men since the founding of America, but in the last few decades we've seen improvements. Though that may be true, women make 78 cents to the dollar, are tormented in politics for being "overly emotional," reporters are given death and sexual threats, and a whole slew of other forms of torment based entirely on gender and falsified stereotypes implemented by men to keep women down. As mentioned above, the LGBT community also faces immense torment by society, often not being able to get work or are fired when coming out. We should not be a country that boasts the America dream while failing to provide the dream to people who aren't white men
Honestly, the article is not that shocking. Yet, what I find interesting is that most people are stating that there have been improvements. Maybe I am jaded. Maybe going to a domestic violence shelter weekly is affecting me, but things are getting worst. The sex trade and slavery are bigger now than they have ever been, domestic violence is still prevalent and there still are not enough resources, laws, shelters, money, or housing to help victims and a high majority of people are still ignorant to basic knowledge about intimate violence (in 2015), bullying and harassment are now easier and more anonymous, and rape and rape victims have become punchlines in popular media (Instagram, Facebook, award shows, etc.). But, there are "improvements". Unfortunately, most of the improvements are Band-Aids and not solutions.
Technology is grows by leaps and bounds, but we still cannot manage to see or treat women as equals. And now feminism/feminist have become bad words; we curse these words and ridicule them.
Simply put, feminism means equality for women, that’s it. Why are we banning the word from schoolgirls’ shirts-black barring it as if it is profanity? So let me get this straight, the word “feminism” is bad and the word should be avoided at all times; but somehow, in all honesty, we truly want equal rights deep down-but we just cannot say the word. What makes all of this sad is that we have gone through many women’s movements, yet we are still fighting for the same things. We have seen women break barriers and overcome challenges; yet nothing, mindsets, have not really changed.
At first it seemed counterintuitive to me that women face more harassment online where everyone can choose to be anonymous but after reading the article I realize that anonymity is what allows for more hatred, outweighing the safety that it can offer. It is harder to regulate cyberspace, so there are more issues that don’t usually come up in face-to-face interactions where there are real consequences, and inequalities between men and women are amplified. The article mentions how hard it is for women in unstable countries, and the internet happens to be one of the most unstable and unregulated places possible.
While I do agree with many of the points that the article raised in regards to gender inequality being a persistent problem around the world, I feel as though the title is misleading. Internet access and cyber bullying do not appear to have any causation nor correlation with one another. It is obvious however, that inequality is a persistent problem for women around the globe in both the developed and undeveloped world. I do not believe access to the internet promotes global gender inequality but misogyny and sexism regarding women’s issues does. The general policing of women’s bodies through contraception and abortion debates hinders women’s progression towards equality more than the internet or cyberbullying does.
The gender gap is an issue that the United States is much more concerned with solving than middle eastern and other low income nations. Violence against women over the internet only widens the gender gap even further. Being active on the internet, and having open profiles, makes women more vulnerable to harassment. Degrading women via social media and text messages can be just as harmful as verbal harassment.
Someone else pointed out that the title of this article is somewhat confusing. I too, felt like the little piece about women having less access to the internet didn't exactly follow the tone of the rest of the article. But to get back to the point I believe they were trying to get at, inequality towards women is still a big issue. You see it on television, read about in the news. I am sure in other countries the women are suffering more than here in the states, their voices have yet to be heard, they are still looked at is if weak and seen not heard. Even now with all the "progress" that has been made here, you would think that progress would continue, but it feels like it is at a halt. I am not sure if it will ever get better than what it is, until men all over see women as equally valuable to this world. I always figured the cyber bullying thing was the same for both men and women, it gets so ugly out there in the internet world, however it makes sense.
The negative that comes with the increase in technology, are the dangers that come with it. With all of the social media sites, women are put at an increased risk to harm and danger because of the ability people have to change their identity. As much as we have tried to close the gap on gender inequality it still seems like it will be hard to close it completely.
I think the article made a great point about in general the world's governments have not done a great job of supporting gender equality. I think a lot of these backwards opinions are so deeply ingrained in so many cultures (including our own) that it takes a lot of unlearning of harmful ideas (traditional gender roles) and relearning of basic facts that contribute towards equality (humans are humans and only gravitate towards certain roles based on cultural learning and not on any sort of biological basis.)
Gender inequality is a huge problem ALL over the world. I think that by reading these comments that have taken a story about gender inequality and turned it into a discussion about cyberbullying shows that. Since this article has been published, the girls that were kidnapped by Boko Haram have been found. Out of the 234 girls kidnapped, 214 of them are now pregnant. Gender inequality is a huge issue. The double standards people in this world live by are sad. I was reading an article about a woman who was raped, they found and arrested the men who had raped her. One of the men arrested said in an interview that it was her fault that they had raped her because of what she was wearing. Why do a lot of men think it is ok to feel this way? If a woman is sexually harassed or raped, it is NEVER her fault, no matter what she is wearing. I should not have to walk out of my door in fear during the summer time while wearing shorts because some men can't keep their composure. I have been a victim of men whistling at me and shouting snide remarks at me as I walk down the street wearing jeans and my winter coat, so there is no way that I can be told that the way a woman dresses invites men in because it does not. Women have always been treated as less than and it is so hard to live in a society where nobody takes you seriously just because you have a vagina. Women can and have done a lot for the world, but it is still believed that we are weaker than men. Women should be able to do whatever is that they want to do and wear whatever it is that they want to wear, just like men can without being ridiculed for it.
“We cannot say that there has not been a lot of initiatives by governments, by civil society, and recently by the private sector, but a lot of initiatives don’t equal progress,” is a priceless statement. There are a lot of initiatives made on several fronts of problems like these, especially against women, but we hardly ever hear of any "real" progress. I've always wondered why its okay to always talk about a solution to a problem, such as the cyberbullying yet never really keep track of any progress being made, if any progress at all. Further, if we don't keep up with logging how any initiatives are working, how can we continue to make progress or reforms to these initiatives.
These occurrences are really sad - I've been reading lately a lot about the ISIS kidnappings and treatment of women around the world. It's really horrible and something definitely needs to be done. I question how the author links this to the gender bias towards internet availability statistic that was brought up at the beginning of this article. Are they implying that these horrible incidents could be prevented by providing equal access to internet? I doubt it, although it isn't clear given the way the article is structured.
Gender inequality is a global issue, not a domestic one. Even though different areas of the world have different scales of inequality, it is an issue that affects women everywhere. I am not a woman, although I can recognize the struggles that women face on the internet, across all platforms ranging from social media to videos to gaming. Women are constantly under ridicule, held to society's expectations, and face harsh harassment from the anonymous users of the internet.
The introduction, regarding the statistics about technology-use and women, to this article really surprised me. Knowing how prevalent gender inequality is still in our world today, I still did not think that there would be such gaps in technology- and Internet-use between men and women, since we live in such a technological-focused world. The information relating to how women are at more risk than men when using the Internet needs to be seen in the bigger picture of inequality. The Internet is just serving as another platform for gender inequality to appear on. Violence against women has always been a gender inequality-related concern, and the fact that its even prevalent online shows that this issue is not related to whatever platform its noticed on. These are societal issues about how we view and treat women, and this article shows how it is even perpetuated in to the cyber world.
I feel as though the way the internet is being used these days both hurts and helps women. On the one hand the internet is being used to advance the feminist movement but just as easily as that information is accessible, so is ignorant information that tries to hold women down. -Gregory Brown
We live in a patriarchal society, I don't think that comes as a surprise to anybody. With that being said, I personally think that the internet and technology not being used wisely can be harmful to both sexes as has been seen with the many tragic cases of cyberbullying. I think the problem is that the media often places more "importance" on females cases and less on male ones because of the belief that men should be tough and these things only happen to women. Sexual violence is, unfortunately, very high in many countries and that is something that we should all work towards controlling and decreasing in the future. As to women's participation in the labor force decreasing I'd say I would have to look more into the data collected and see what specific reasons caused that decline. For example, maybe many women were having children during that time and therefore were temporarily out of the work force; a number of things could influence this kind of statistics.
ReplyDeleteMy question is , is that women can't afford these mobile phone and or they don't have to me on it since somebody has to take care of the family. In addition to that, it is not only women getting harassed over the internet, but so are homosexuals. I personally think guys that like other guys over the internet compared to the women who like over women get it worst than the females.
ReplyDeleteI found it very unsettling to hear about the rape and death threats that female reporters received online, however I'm not surprised. The anonymity that sitting behind a keyboard on the internet gives people, often encourages them to show the sides of themselves that they wouldn't normally expose.The statistics about the decrease of female workers worldwide is interesting. We expect things to get better over time, and it's puzzling when they don't. Like Karen, I would like to see the data on that and try and figure out exactly what is causing this new trend.
ReplyDeletei had mixed reactions while reading this article. I was surprised that people could find a connection between gender and cellphones and the internet. What I found disturbing is the fact that the reporter was being threatened and the issue was nearly glanced at. Cyberbulling is so prevalent in today's society and nothing has really changed. We see it everyday from middle schoolers to professional blog writers. It happens to everyone, yet we're focused on genders gaps.
ReplyDeletei had mixed reactions while reading this article. I was surprised that people could find a connection between gender and cellphones and the internet. What I found disturbing is the fact that the reporter was being threatened and the issue was nearly glanced at. Cyberbulling is so prevalent in today's society and nothing has really changed. We see it everyday from middle schoolers to professional blog writers. It happens to everyone, yet we're focused on genders gaps.
ReplyDeleteThe notion that internet use is becoming more and more widespread with the younger generation alarms people as is. However, after reading this article and seeing that the internet is being used to harass and abuse young women, i am even more alarmed by the media and internet culture that is being created.
ReplyDeleteIn today society, this internet and social media is going to bring more harm in a way because people are not either educated enough to prevent dangers or they care becoming careless. As we see on social media in regards to sexual violence and cyber-bullying you must put limits on what your children do. Either parents have to first do training in house to explain the risk or they have to find a way to monitor the social media. Just like there are criminals on the street, there are even more criminals online because they can hide their face more. Females are always going to be primary targets because they are looked as weak and easy. However, girls need to be more educated on identifying and handling each encounter.
ReplyDeleteAfter reading this article, I can say that I thought we were at least living in a better place now than it was some years ago. But the reality is that changes in gender equality is a slow process. From high school harassment and cyberbullying to girls to the problems caused by the terrorists attacks as ISIS, women are still been the weak spot. I think that yes it would take some 70 years or so to change these.
ReplyDeleteThis article sadly does not tell me anything that I did not already know in regards to the system that operates not just in the countries we deem "underdeveloped" but also the so called developed nations. The article does not really talk about why the slow process of gender inequality is occurring, but instead focuses on facts that show the lack of process. I believe that one main reason why gender inequality is so hard to stop is because it is based on constructed ideas of what is social expectable for a specific gender but it is deep with in. As in there are rules/ideas that we do not question so when one day people start questioning the set ideas not only do the beliefs that people carry need to change, which it hard to do but also there needs to be a change in the system reversing everything that was previous done. It is just a complicated process that should be done, but might not seem to be important to the leading powers at this period of time.
ReplyDeleteThe Internet has provided a safe haven to express their ideals and spread information under anonymity, if one wishes to remain so. Under this guise, anonymity has also allowed for some of the largest and most horrific bullying of our generation. Being able to hide behind a computer or television screen disassociates the human experience of empathy. We cannot see a person’s reaction when we type that they are inept, or some other form of grotesque insult, we cannot see or feel the pain the is marked in someone face when we sit behind a controller on a video game shouting insults or sexual expletives in order to LEARN the consequences of saying hurtful things. The internet has allowed for the world to gain a greater access to what is happening, in a similar sense as to what video broadcast did during the Vietnam War, but rather than create an experience of awareness, we have created a society of bullying, trolls, and uneducated debate.
ReplyDeleteThis article shed light on one particular thing for me. I have had the viewpoint that globally gender equality has come a long way, and although it has over the past 50 years, it seems that in recent years the world as regressed rather then progress. It was shocking to me to see that the continent that actually has the most progress in recent years is South America. After reading the article, I think it is clear that the focus in furthering women rights needs to be in the Middle East, and Asia.
ReplyDelete-Jeremy Levin
Gender inequality will continue to increase as technology and society advances. For some reason, these great advancements have little effect on the minds of people around the world, therefore while tasks become easier to complete the attitude and nature toward women will remain slighted. Women around the world still lack basic rights so I am not surprised that they also lack access to the internet and other technologies. I agree with Mlambo-Ngcuka because the internet has just made it easier for people to harass and mistreat women. The internet provides these perpetrators with an outlet that does not require them to leave the comfort of their own homes. The world would rather ignore these issues as countless women and girls continue to be kidnapped, raped, and thrown into slavery. This problem gets masked by the numerous political power play issues concerning money and nuclear weapons. What about the people? What are we doing about the violations of human rights? Nothing, because it’s too difficult and apparently the cost of trying to make a difference is more than the worth of millions of lives. This is a worldwide issue, the focus area is global, yet the only way I see to truly fix this issue is impossible. If there was a reset button, or a way to alter the societal impression of women and their place in society, then things could change for the better.
ReplyDeleteThe issue with gender inequality is that it is almost unchangeable. In a sense, at a young age we are taught how male is not superior to female, but that they are the more dominant sex. Such as how the father is the protector of the family, and the mother is the caregiver in the family. Through a technological standpoint, cyberbullying for example, goes both ways. In this instance I don't believe gender plays a big issue until society makes it an issue. With the example of the girl that committed suicide due to sexual photos involving sexual assault ending up online, and the female journalists that were receiving death threats, it gives women an inferior appearance. If society wants to diminish gender inequality, then we must try to ignore gender as a whole. This brings me back to my point though on how it unchangeable, because we will always see gender, and it will in some way play a role on our actions towards them.
ReplyDeleteReading through this article, I realized how truly slow the process of social change actually is. While individuals have been fighting for gender equality for many years, there is still a lot that needs to be done to achieve gender equality. It really upset me reading about how so many cases of cyberbullying, and physical and sexual abuse are being overlooked by the society that we live in. As the author of the article stated, many initiative have been taken, but those initiatives do not equal progress. This is due to the fact that it is easier to start a momentum, rather than keep it going. That is the sad reality of social change, many people are able to get on board with a social issue but it takes a lot more time and commitment to continue this momentum to see a change in society.
ReplyDeleteRecently, the UMD community was shaken by the racist and sexist contents of a irresponsibly written email. Although the discussion regarding this email has remained mostly unanimous, there remains certain individuals who believe that the writer of the email should be protected under the free speech amendment regardless of the malicious feelings expressed in the writing. President Loh himself has spoken up about the incident claiming that he too was,"struggling with justifying this email as free speech." Without a doubt, the internet has provided society with many social and technical advancements, but one negative setback of the internet is that its anonymity becomes an enabling feature for people to go on a hate speech rampage without thinking of its social consequences. I'm trying to give the student the benefit of the doubt but it's difficult to not wonder if his current repentant state would be so if he had never gotten caught.
ReplyDeleteCyberbullying has been an issue ever since social media sites like Myspace and Facebook became part of everyday life. As someone who tries to be as up to date with technology as possible, I utilize social media to the best of my ability; for example, on twitter I follow a diverse array of news viewpoint and personalities to develop my political understanding. I really like having social media at my fingertips, I can say whatever I want to. But with that freedom comes the understanding that others can too. It is a shame that some use that power to harass and abuse people—often times male on female abuse. I cannot tell you how many times men have Facebook messaged me over and over again saying things to sexualize me and claim some sort of ownership over me because maybe I posted a bikini picture or my shirt was cut a little too low. Why as a female does anything I post warrant unsolicited, disgusting comments? And why am I the “bitch” when I politely decline and say I am not interested?
ReplyDeleteSocial media has become a great asset for businesses and corporations. Unfortunately, the majority of teens and some adults use it for cyber bullying. The article states that even though women only represent half of the social media users, they are more likely to be harassed and bullied. It is a very sad truth but like the article says, we still see on the news how gender inequality affects women in other countries. Extremist groups who still think of women as sexual objects instead of humans mistreat them and put their lives at risk. When I first started reading the article I did not think it was relevant. Because I believe that there is more important issues out there than not owning a cellphone. But the article had a way of leading to the big picture, which is violence and harassment towards women.
ReplyDeleteAlso, while this article have some very important facts about horrible things happening to women around the world. I feel like also the LGBT community gets bullied and harassed over the Internet. This is becoming a social problem, although gay rights are helping the LGBT community, they still face violence and harassment just like women.
Daniel Chevez
Our society has always been male dominated. In recent years women have emerged from beneath the ownership of men and have started to claim there own identities. Equality is being pushed for women in many societies but there are still societies that view women as less than equal to men or even worst as property. In these communities women haven't had the chance to experience life as it is evolving here in the US and other places and are maybe even hidden from this movement because those men fear a rebellion or an uprising from the woman that currently know no other way. Back in the day and still in some societies women were used as property, baby makers, sexually exploited and harassed openly. Today it's more so shunned from the light nevertheless it is still a problem in all societies and until the issue has fully subsided those who submit to the foul behavior will continue to find ways to exploit and harass women with the Internet becoming a new playing field.
ReplyDeleteRyan Rumph
Even though cyberbulling has become a lot more popular throughout society as technology advances, it is a problem that has been occurring daily for a long time now. The article mentions how women are at a greater risk online than men and I agree with this assertion to a degree. Many women face sexual abuse online through pictures or words because many offenders know that if you break a women down emotionally you are really affecting them not only internally but also externally. With the advancement in technology, it has been shown that women are now facing more cruel abuse than before because offenders have more resources to hurt their victims. Men also go through online abuse and harassment but the difference to me is that men are not affected by words as much as women are. Men often resort to physical violence to solve their problems, so it is hard to abuse them online with words or pictures; however, it is not impossible. This issue will continue to persist throughout our society because technology has become such a necessity and human beings cannot go a day without using their cell phones or checking their social networks, so opportunities to harass someone online will continue to grow as the years pass.
ReplyDeleteThe statement that in some places it is more dangerous to be a woman than a soldier gets straight to the point of a very important argument in political debate about gender inequality and men's violence against women, and that is that we need to stop looking at hate and violence against women (whether it is on the internet or in person) as a "women's issue" and start look at it in terms of it being a matter of national and international security. And I would say that since it effects such a large percentage of the world's population, it is the biggest threat to national and international security that any nation faces today. And yet we spend billions on the military (for example) but most initiatives such as women's shelters, groups who fight for equal rights etc. struggle to get funding, even from their respective governments. This article just confirms the consequences of a shocking lack of priority for issues affecting the safety and independence of women in general, simply because they are seen as "women's issues". - Malin Niklasson
ReplyDeleteI think that the internet will always be a direct reflection of where the world is as a whole, just based on the fact that its the only place that people can say what they think without any consequences. That said, this article shows that we all have a long way to go to achieve equality in terms of gender. Cyber-bullying, though, poses such a huge threat in that it only takes one ill-minded person to have a negative impact on a person's livelihood in an anonymous fashion. and because of the state of the world now, it seems as though women are unfortunately taking the brunt of all this malicious intent over the web. It appears as though the only way to fight back is to rely on the internet less in general.
ReplyDelete- Greg Battista
I agree. Cyber-Bullying always seemed dumb to me until I realized it had real consequences. There was a point at the beginning of high school I noticed a lot of the tv stations would run stories about topics like this. So yeah, the only way to fight back is to cut the opportunity online for bullying, but just like in real life; no one should have to fear someone else.
DeleteGender inequality has escaped the workplace and made its way onto the Internet. Almost unsupervised, the Internet has become a place where women face derogatory language and some instances can escalate into physical violence. In the article, the mentioned “GamerGate.” This particular incident involved “women journalists, developers and critics receiving rape and death threats online.” After I read the links about the incident, I also looked into the case of Rehtaeh Parsons. Both were disgusting to read and to know that women face threats not only in the physical world, but online that can create problems mentally, as they did with Parsons. The world has made improved so much in the last hundred years, but problems like this have existed since societies have formed. For problems like this to still be present weight down the success we have made for gender equality.
ReplyDelete-Stephen P.
The fact that it would take 70 years to close the current wage gap is mind boggling. I would have thought that the number would have been closer to 15 or 20 years with all the relative progress we have been making as a society. I am starting to realize more and more that we have not made as much progress as I would like to believe. The subject of cyber bullying is one that should be taken much more seriously than it is. I believe that people should be held accountable for the things that they post and say online, just as they would for saying them in person.
ReplyDelete-Damarr Gordon
There's little in this article that can be considered "surprising" - women have always been segregated against even on the Internet, and they've been particularly subject to harassment - but this report is unsettling to think about nonetheless. The GamerGate incident shows us just how far we have to go, even in what we consider more progressive societies; female reporters are recieving rape and death threats over the internet for pushing for greater gender equality. Judging from this article and from other ones like it I've seen on the Internet, I would have to agree with Mlambo-Ngcuka's claim near the end - that "no country in the world can claim to have gender equality".
ReplyDelete- Brian Kang
after reading this article, i wasnt surprised much by the data. However, it further places the problems associated with cyber bullying in a new light.
ReplyDeleteIt doesn't surprise me that women are more often victim to online sexism and, essentially, bullying. The increase in internet use gives people more anonymous courage to criticize and harass others. I think in general, our obsession with the internet and social media and the new craze of posting a million pictures of oneself allows a new forum for people, men and women alike, to harass one another, and more often this falls onto women.
ReplyDeleteIt is hardly surprising that the attacks on women on the internet are sexual in their nature, the internet is a reflection of society and anonymity allows people to express the thoughts and beliefs that are otherwise shameful in democratic societies. As a result sexism, racism, homophobia etc are more present on the internet. In a way this is good thing because these things become harder to neglect, one cannot simply say that sexism or racism doesn't exist when you are overwhelmed by it on the internet. - Visar Berisha
ReplyDeleteNo matter the amount of progress we make through technology we still have so much to work on when it comes to gender inequity. its clear every country has their levels of issues they face when dealing with gender inequality but that doesn't mean we cant make a difference. only through education can we combat issues such as this one.
ReplyDeleteWomen have always fallen short of men since the founding of America, but in the last few decades we've seen improvements. Though that may be true, women make 78 cents to the dollar, are tormented in politics for being "overly emotional," reporters are given death and sexual threats, and a whole slew of other forms of torment based entirely on gender and falsified stereotypes implemented by men to keep women down. As mentioned above, the LGBT community also faces immense torment by society, often not being able to get work or are fired when coming out. We should not be a country that boasts the America dream while failing to provide the dream to people who aren't white men
ReplyDeleteHonestly, the article is not that shocking. Yet, what I find interesting is that most people are stating that there have been improvements. Maybe I am jaded. Maybe going to a domestic violence shelter weekly is affecting me, but things are getting worst. The sex trade and slavery are bigger now than they have ever been, domestic violence is still prevalent and there still are not enough resources, laws, shelters, money, or housing to help victims and a high majority of people are still ignorant to basic knowledge about intimate violence (in 2015), bullying and harassment are now easier and more anonymous, and rape and rape victims have become punchlines in popular media (Instagram, Facebook, award shows, etc.). But, there are "improvements". Unfortunately, most of the improvements are Band-Aids and not solutions.
ReplyDeleteTechnology is grows by leaps and bounds, but we still cannot manage to see or treat women as equals. And now feminism/feminist have become bad words; we curse these words and ridicule them.
Simply put, feminism means equality for women, that’s it. Why are we banning the word from schoolgirls’ shirts-black barring it as if it is profanity? So let me get this straight, the word “feminism” is bad and the word should be avoided at all times; but somehow, in all honesty, we truly want equal rights deep down-but we just cannot say the word. What makes all of this sad is that we have gone through many women’s movements, yet we are still fighting for the same things. We have seen women break barriers and overcome challenges; yet nothing, mindsets, have not really changed.
At first it seemed counterintuitive to me that women face more harassment online where everyone can choose to be anonymous but after reading the article I realize that anonymity is what allows for more hatred, outweighing the safety that it can offer. It is harder to regulate cyberspace, so there are more issues that don’t usually come up in face-to-face interactions where there are real consequences, and inequalities between men and women are amplified. The article mentions how hard it is for women in unstable countries, and the internet happens to be one of the most unstable and unregulated places possible.
ReplyDeleteWhile I do agree with many of the points that the article raised in regards to gender inequality being a persistent problem around the world, I feel as though the title is misleading. Internet access and cyber bullying do not appear to have any causation nor correlation with one another. It is obvious however, that inequality is a persistent problem for women around the globe in both the developed and undeveloped world. I do not believe access to the internet promotes global gender inequality but misogyny and sexism regarding women’s issues does. The general policing of women’s bodies through contraception and abortion debates hinders women’s progression towards equality more than the internet or cyberbullying does.
ReplyDeleteThe gender gap is an issue that the United States is much more concerned with solving than middle eastern and other low income nations. Violence against women over the internet only widens the gender gap even further. Being active on the internet, and having open profiles, makes women more vulnerable to harassment. Degrading women via social media and text messages can be just as harmful as verbal harassment.
ReplyDeleteSomeone else pointed out that the title of this article is somewhat confusing. I too, felt like the little piece about women having less access to the internet didn't exactly follow the tone of the rest of the article. But to get back to the point I believe they were trying to get at, inequality towards women is still a big issue. You see it on television, read about in the news. I am sure in other countries the women are suffering more than here in the states, their voices have yet to be heard, they are still looked at is if weak and seen not heard. Even now with all the "progress" that has been made here, you would think that progress would continue, but it feels like it is at a halt. I am not sure if it will ever get better than what it is, until men all over see women as equally valuable to this world. I always figured the cyber bullying thing was the same for both men and women, it gets so ugly out there in the internet world, however it makes sense.
ReplyDeleteThe negative that comes with the increase in technology, are the dangers that come with it. With all of the social media sites, women are put at an increased risk to harm and danger because of the ability people have to change their identity. As much as we have tried to close the gap on gender inequality it still seems like it will be hard to close it completely.
ReplyDeleteI think the article made a great point about in general the world's governments have not done a great job of supporting gender equality. I think a lot of these backwards opinions are so deeply ingrained in so many cultures (including our own) that it takes a lot of unlearning of harmful ideas (traditional gender roles) and relearning of basic facts that contribute towards equality (humans are humans and only gravitate towards certain roles based on cultural learning and not on any sort of biological basis.)
ReplyDeleteGender inequality is a huge problem ALL over the world. I think that by reading these comments that have taken a story about gender inequality and turned it into a discussion about cyberbullying shows that. Since this article has been published, the girls that were kidnapped by Boko Haram have been found. Out of the 234 girls kidnapped, 214 of them are now pregnant. Gender inequality is a huge issue. The double standards people in this world live by are sad. I was reading an article about a woman who was raped, they found and arrested the men who had raped her. One of the men arrested said in an interview that it was her fault that they had raped her because of what she was wearing. Why do a lot of men think it is ok to feel this way? If a woman is sexually harassed or raped, it is NEVER her fault, no matter what she is wearing. I should not have to walk out of my door in fear during the summer time while wearing shorts because some men can't keep their composure. I have been a victim of men whistling at me and shouting snide remarks at me as I walk down the street wearing jeans and my winter coat, so there is no way that I can be told that the way a woman dresses invites men in because it does not. Women have always been treated as less than and it is so hard to live in a society where nobody takes you seriously just because you have a vagina. Women can and have done a lot for the world, but it is still believed that we are weaker than men. Women should be able to do whatever is that they want to do and wear whatever it is that they want to wear, just like men can without being ridiculed for it.
ReplyDelete“We cannot say that there has not been a lot of initiatives by governments, by civil society, and recently by the private sector, but a lot of initiatives don’t equal progress,” is a priceless statement. There are a lot of initiatives made on several fronts of problems like these, especially against women, but we hardly ever hear of any "real" progress. I've always wondered why its okay to always talk about a solution to a problem, such as the cyberbullying yet never really keep track of any progress being made, if any progress at all. Further, if we don't keep up with logging how any initiatives are working, how can we continue to make progress or reforms to these initiatives.
ReplyDeleteThese occurrences are really sad - I've been reading lately a lot about the ISIS kidnappings and treatment of women around the world. It's really horrible and something definitely needs to be done. I question how the author links this to the gender bias towards internet availability statistic that was brought up at the beginning of this article. Are they implying that these horrible incidents could be prevented by providing equal access to internet? I doubt it, although it isn't clear given the way the article is structured.
ReplyDelete-David Teitelbaum
Gender inequality is a global issue, not a domestic one. Even though different areas of the world have different scales of inequality, it is an issue that affects women everywhere. I am not a woman, although I can recognize the struggles that women face on the internet, across all platforms ranging from social media to videos to gaming. Women are constantly under ridicule, held to society's expectations, and face harsh harassment from the anonymous users of the internet.
ReplyDeleteThe introduction, regarding the statistics about technology-use and women, to this article really surprised me. Knowing how prevalent gender inequality is still in our world today, I still did not think that there would be such gaps in technology- and Internet-use between men and women, since we live in such a technological-focused world. The information relating to how women are at more risk than men when using the Internet needs to be seen in the bigger picture of inequality. The Internet is just serving as another platform for gender inequality to appear on. Violence against women has always been a gender inequality-related concern, and the fact that its even prevalent online shows that this issue is not related to whatever platform its noticed on. These are societal issues about how we view and treat women, and this article shows how it is even perpetuated in to the cyber world.
ReplyDeleteI feel as though the way the internet is being used these days both hurts and helps women. On the one hand the internet is being used to advance the feminist movement but just as easily as that information is accessible, so is ignorant information that tries to hold women down.
ReplyDelete-Gregory Brown