Strengths of Herringís Findings

Herring points out a number of imperative, yet often overlooked, themes in computer-mediated communication. Digital democracy on the basis of gender has not been achieved. Herring found that a minority of men dominate discussion on listserv lists. The amount and style of participation varies according to the gender of the subscriber. When one examines the extremes of gendered behaviour online, discrepancies are evident. In addition, Herring does point to the fact that these distinct populations she speaks of are just that ñ extremes.

Evidence of what Herring calls "gendered prototypes" seem to be evident regardless of which society or form of media is examined. That people regularly infer the gender status of others online based on rhetorical and discursive cues is not surprising. Gender bias has been evident in discourse, and in knowledge and meaning production, throughout history. Given this history, it is no surprise that gender bias is evident in regard to online communication as well. Since such bias exists, it needs to be brought to light and questioned. According to Dale Spender, "There is a battle being waged; itís a real one. If we donít want a repeat of the gender bias in the old law of the land, we have to insist that women are equally represented in the development of the new laws of cyberspace."(Spender, 209) Spender also agrees with Herring that the normative features of online netiquette do not appeal to the needs of women and men equally. In her book Nattering on the Net: Women, Power, and Cyberspace, Spender states:

"Netiquette" – as the new code is called – is another good example of the way men get there first and then stand guard at the gateway; their rules of entry are that you have to play their way if you want to be allowed on the road. It could even be that there is a willingness to open the gate to as many women as men, as long as they play according to the road rules that the men have already set up.(Spender, 196)

The Internet was developed as a military project. Initially it was an almost exclusively male domain. From the military-industrial complex it moved into the academic world. Only during the latter part of the 1990s has it blossomed rapidly throughout mainstream society. Today women enjoy a much greater degree of online representation, but do they enjoy equality? Who defines the rules?

Weaknesses of Herring’s Findings