Women take over the web

 Females vastly
outnumber men
on the dominant
web platforms
such as Facebook
and MySpace,
demographers
report

 

 

 

 

WOMEN HAVE QUIETLY taken over the Internet. The new social networks which dominate the web are overwhelmingly manned (oops, sorry) by women and designed to foster female thought processes.

“The reason why you are so bad at Facebook is simple: you are a guy,” said a letter from reader Wendy Tong. “These systems are tailored for socializing and for swapping self-analysis pop quizzes, which are distinctly female skills. The Facebook company never trumpets this fact, but the truth is known in the web industry that two out of three Facebook users are women.”

I checked out the facts. It’s true. Expand the image below for the figures on Facebook usage by each sex. In some paces, Facebook is 75 per cent female.

 

This intriguing news was in one of several letters received from readers on the difference between male and female thinking, referring to an earlier column. Reader Rika Nauck was worried to learn that map reading skills were a sign of masculinity, it being one of her own talents. “But I must be female,” she added proudly. “I can’t count.”

The gulf between male and female thought processes is even wider if there’s a generation gap involved, said reader Mike Munson. “I remember driving with my mother,” he said. “I asked her where the store she wanted to go was. She told me to drive up the hill near the dogwood trees not in bloom, turn left past where the dry cleaners used to be five years ago, and then drive by my older brother's second grade teacher’s house on the left. I had no idea where to go.”

But going back to the subject of social web networks, men cannot judge how to use them appropriately. A reader named Jason wrote: “I just learnt today that my sister's husband was going to record on Twitter or Facebook every notable event about the birth of their son.” The guy was even sending out news alerts on his wife’s internal contractions, and proposed recording the entire birth on YouTube. But his wife’s “if looks could kill” response dissuaded him. Jason, please tell him there IS such a thing as “too much information”.

Meanwhile, the news that many Asian governments are limiting parents’ freedom to name their children prompted Dan Kubiske to send us a tip: get on a plane and give birth in the Dominican Republic. A campaign to limit parental naming rights was recently rejected by the courts there. Parents there have given their children innovative names, including Ghost, Stupid and Boil, plus brand names, including Mazda and Toshiba. Poor little mites. On the plus side, I guess the kid named Stupid doesn’t have much to live up to.

A reader named Hayat from Jakarta was interested in the comment in this column that people are often described as “disgruntled” but no one is ever said to be “gruntled”. He wrote: “And then of course there's that whole thing about being overwhelmed. You can be overwhelmed at something or you can be underwhelmed. But can you ever just be whelmed?”

I’m not sure about that, Hayat, but I do know one thing. It is only a matter of time before some guy puts up a Facebook page featuring a YouTube video recording the birth of his son, whom he will call Stupid Toshiba Ghost Boil.

I just hope he doesn’t expect the boy to be whelmed or his wife to be gruntled.

 

Technorati Tags: women on facebook,facebook demographics

Comments

[sej]

I went checking today, to see how many "live births" there were recorded on YouTube... There were HEAPS!!

Considering Uli is expecting, I wonder what her thoughts would be, and wonder if her other half has ever thought about or mentioned it...

[youtubegirl]

Good idea. Instead of Ulis face in the gallery, we can have a video of her new baby. Just imagine, how weird it would be for the child... to have your whole life from the moment of your birth recorded for the world.

[fardel]

That would be funny to see the baby popping out,laughing instead of crying;
I am sure that would be the first time in History

[fardel]

Those demographic experts!!!
Everybody knows that women have already taken control of the the world:
They are more numerous:
Hey guys!
Sit down on the sidewalk and start counting (two separate lists, one for men , one for women) before drinking preferably
Sit down at the entrance of your business and start counting:
Sit down at the entrance of the local shopping mall and start counting
Sit down at the entrance of the maternity hospital and start counting
Sit down by the entrance of the primary school and start counting

Now add up the figures
You compare the figures ;

Where are the guys?

warning:
When you go home you'd better be nice to your second half: she is in charge of the household AND she has a complete army of tigresses ready to literally shred you to pieces in you do not behave.

Anyway , you should know that:
she controls you ,too.

[Angela]

go to online dating site and start counting ;-)

[Uli]

I am very glad to report that my husband would never even think of recording our children's births for the internet - and neither would I.
So you won't even need to look for it! :-)

[Vince A]

But Uli, but how would you answer your child's question 6 years from now:

"Mummy, was I adopted? Cuz how come I can't find my birth in YouTube?"

In any case, all the interns and nurses today secretly take a video of all the births, just in case the baby becomes famous in the future.

[Janice Lim]

Go to a dance school and start counting

[peter wei]

I couldn't agree with you more, Fardel.

Any man's better half is better!