Module 2 Response- Article V

MySpace is a social networking website that allows people to connect with friends. MySpace users have the ability to describe themselves by giving their name, age, gender, relationship status, and more. A MySpace user can enter their information in the different sections that are provided in the website such as, the “About Me” section, “Interests” section, “Favorites” section, and more. A person that is engaged in a relationship has the capability of mentioning their significant other in their profile. In the article, “Gender Differences in ‘Social Portraits’ Reflected in MySpace Profiles,” a study was completed to determine whether a female or a male mentions their significant other more in their social profile. In this article, the experimental group consisted of people that were engaged in a relationship. The study consisted of 51 female and 49 male. According to the article, “males were less apt to mention their significant other in the “About Me” section: 43% mentioned their significant other 0 times compared to 16% of females.” Although the experimental group was not all that big, there is some sort of accuracy in the results of this experiment. It showed that men are less likely to mention their significant other in their profile than women are. There was no significant difference in the number of opposite-sex friends that each gender had. The main difference between the two genders was the number of time the significant other was mentioned. The face that the female mentions her significant other more than the male mentions his significant other says a lot. The article states, “Males tend to enter into relationships while still maintaining their sense of individuality and uniqueness. The relationship is simply an addition to their preexisting complete selves.” This means that the male’s life or social status does not revolve around his significant other. On the other hand, females are the ones who feel that they should be the ones who are the sweethearts in a relationship. By this I mean that women show more emotion than men do. Also, “women’s identity may still be largely determined by the men in their lives, given their greater propensity for including their significant other in their presentation of self.” This is the reason that women acknowledge their significant other in public more than men do.