Amanda List, Gender-Based Responses in Sports Chatrooms

Computer-mediated communication has changed the way we communicate with one another. Earlier this semester it was suggested that computer-mediated communication, like that of the Internet, may possibly alter or evolve the way that women and men communicate with each other as it all but eliminates face-to-face contact.

I thought it would be interesting to test this theory that the Internet alters the way that the sexes communicate with each other in an arena, no pun intended, that interests me: professional sports--particularly baseball, football, and especially, basketball.

Today I want to demonstrate how I did a study to test whether or not the Internet truly alters the way the sexes communicate with one another. I'm going to show you how I did it step-by-step so that you can see how I reached my conclusion.

First we'll talk about how to create a working hypothesis that can prove or disprove your experimentation. Next we'll talk about methodology. I'm going to show you how you may set up a similar experiment that relates to you. Finally I'll show you what it's like to go online in this environment and how to interpret the results you find.

The first step then is to create a working hypothesis. Slide please. It has been my experience that it I am treated as peculiar or odd when I discuss sports even though I am very knowledgeable about sports. I have drawn upon this experience to create the following working hypothesis: Assuming gender is obvious, the treatment that one receives online when discussing sports-related topics is congruous to the treatment one receives during face-to-face encounters.

I am now going to move on to the discussion about methodology. For the purpose of the study, I created three online personas. Slide, please. One who is obviously female, [Im90sGirl]? one who is obviously male [Johnny1208], and an androgynous person [JRG1234]. The personas will be very similar to each other in every respect except gender. Once that I had my new identities, I was ready to foray into the world of cyber sports.

I went online as all three characters at three different times of the day: early afternoon 1 pm to 5 pm; evening, 5 pm to 7 pm; and late night, 9 pm to midnight.

My method for the study was to enter sports chatrooms as all three personas and make similar comments. In this manner, I was able to observe the reactions of presumably the same participants in a chatroom to each of the three characters.

I went online in the early afternoon several occasions during the study. At this particular time of the day, the conversations taking place among the participants were particularly banal, occasionally rude, and generally profane and had little if anything to do with sports.

When I entered the sports chatrooms in the early afternoon as Johnny, I was almost always immediately insulted. During one particular foray into America Online's Sports Center Five chatroom, I was quickly asked which team I liked in the NBA playoffs. I responded that I that thought the LA Lakers would definitely win the title again this year. I was then bombarded with messages insulting the Lakers and my "manhood."

A little later I signed on again as Jill. After many offers of cyber sex and insults, I was finally asked which team I liked in the NBA playoffs. I gave the same response as before. While I was again insulted by the same participants who insulted me as Johnny, I was now thwarted [sic] with comments such, as "girls don't know anything about basketball " or "dumb idiot--get out of here."

When I signed on again as my androgynous persona, JR, I was immediately questioned as to what gender I was. I didn't answer. I gave the same response to the question about the NBA, and while I was again insulted, none of the comments referenced my gender.

Gratefully, the level of discourse was much higher during the early evening hours, even in the same Sports Center Five chatroom. There were very few age/sex checks and also very few insults.

As Johnny, my comments and opinions were acknowledged and sometimes countered. I was invited into the conversation and really began to feel like "one of the guys." As Johnny, I did make certain to make one comment to purposely show ignorance about sports. I confused the Sacramento Kings with the Los Angeles Kings during a discussion of the NHL. I was mildly flamed for this comment, but I was not told that I didn't belong there, nor was I asked to leave.

As Jill during the evening hours, I was generally ignored, although I did receive a few instant messages requesting cyber sex. I was not welcomed into the conversations. And when I did interject a comment, I was either ignored or given a perfunctory response. As Jill, I was never asked for my opinions in the sports rooms during this time of the day. As Jill, I made an uneducated comment, calling the Cleveland Cavaliers the Ohio Cavaliers. I was told to leave the sports chat area and told that women didn't belong in those rooms.

My late night excursions into the AOL sports chatrooms were similar in many ways to my ventures into the same rooms in the early afternoon. The banter was inane and often had very little to do with sports. As Johnny I was again involved in conversations that centered around sports, but the same participants were much quicker to insult than the participants earlier in the afternoon.

Frankly it was almost impossible to conduct any kind of study as a female in the chatrooms late at night. I was sent instant messages literally constantly, mostly requesting cyber sex. What comments I was able to make in the AOL sports chatrooms were again mostly ignored.

As my androgynous persona, I was often asked, well a few times, what my gender was. But I was mostly treated like a male. I was flamed for following certain teams, but I was also asked my opinion and involved in what little conversation was going on.

From our experiences today and from the experiences I have mentioned previously, we can draw our conclusion. I have found my hypothesis to be accurate. In online situations as in face-to-face situations, women's comments and participation in conversations about sports with men are neither invited nor particularly welcome.

The other interesting result of my study is that when I went online as my androgynous persona, most of the participants assumed I was male and treated me as such.

Thank you.