Why Women Shall Inherit The Earth, And Why Social Media All But Guarantees It

Remember the good old days? When dial-up AOL was the cutting edge of technology, when all facets of our media were controlled by men, and when you wouldn't think twice about sitting next to Pee-wee Herman in a movie theater? Yeah well those days are dead. I'll let you research AOL and Pee-wee on your own, and instead focus in on the one regarding men dominating the media. While sexism no doubt played a significant role in why this came to be. I wonder if thats all there is to it. I believe that, even if sexism was completely taken out of this equation, woman may still be at a disadvantage in the mainstream media simply because of the different ways in which men and women communicate. For the first time, it looks like women may have the upper hand.

In addition to my interests in the study of social media, I am fascinated with theories in interpersonal communication. Particularly those dealing with the different ways in which men and women communicate. The book, "You Just Don't Understand" by Deborah Tannen depicts a number of different communication styles, some of which men tend to favor, and other women prefer. Report-talk versus rapport-talk.

Report-talk is the form in which men seem to be most comfortable speaking in. Mrs. Tannen discribes this as, "...(Report-talk) is primarily a means to preserve independence and negotiate and maintain status in a hierarchical social order. This is done by exhibiting knowledge and skill, and by holding center stage through verbal performance...". This seems to fit nicely into what we often see from our familure main-stream news outlets. I also find it interesting that, although the author is refuring to face to face interactions in this quote, it doesn't take much imagination to picture this as a one-way communication. This one-way, hierarchical method of communication is the same structure we find in all traditional medias; from newspapers to radio programs to cable news networks. All hierarchical, all one-way.

Now look at rapport talk. This is the form of speech women feel most accustomed to using.