Both men and women are now actively using social media for interaction. However, there are gender differences that play a role in the formation of the subject of interaction, information search and sharing, decision-making, and well-being.
First of all, gender influences the subject of social interaction in social media. Rollero et al. note that “men use social networking sites to communicate and express their opinions more often than women” (1). This assumption is also supported by research by Zhou, who argues that the bulk of women’s social interaction in social media is based on a discussion of their social roles rather than individual characteristics (1198).
The second significant difference concerns how information is searched for and shared on social media, depending on gender. In particular, women are more inclined to scrutinize, test available opinions, and share information generated by other users (Sun et al. 3009).
Gender also has an impact on what type of content predominantly forms an opinion when users search for information on social media. While there are no significant gender differences in travel planning using social media, women are more likely to trust photo and video content when choosing (Karatsoli and Nathanail 1).
Gender also has an influence on the impact of social media use on the well-being of female users. Booker et al. state that “gender differences in that greater social media interaction at age 10 was associated with lower levels of well-being at later ages among females” (10).
Men and women equally actively use social media for interaction. In particular, they help promote gender equality through the diversity of opinions represented on the platforms. Thus, the role of gender in interaction in social media is associated exclusively with the goals of the user.
Works Cited
Booker, Cara L., et al. “Gender Differences in the Associations between Age Trends of Social Media Interaction and Well-Being among 10-15-Year-Olds in the UK.” BMC Public Health, vol. 18, no. 321, 2018, pp. 1-13.
Karatsoli, Maria, and Eftihia Nathanail. “Examining Gender Differences of Social Media Use for Activity Planning and Travel Choices.” European Transport Research Review, vol.12, no. 44, 2020, pp. 1-9.
Rollero, Chiara, et al. “Do Men Post and Women View? The Role of Gender, Personality and Emotions in Online Social Activity.” Cyberpsychology, vol. 13, no. 1, 2019, pp. 1-15.
Sun, Jonghak, et al. “Role of Gender Differences on Individuals’ Responses to Electronic Word-of-Mouth in Social Interactions.” Applied Economics, 51(28), pp. 3001-3014.
Zhou, Xintong. “For Better or for Worse for Females?: A Content Analysis of Gender-Motivated Comments on Social Media Platforms.” Advances in Social Science, Education and Humanities Research, vol. 466, 2020, pp. 1192-1199.