Gender and Development

MASS MEDIA

Group 4:

Erika Faye Adame

Dante J. Bellen Jr.

Terrie Mae Kyla S. Lasco

Noverlyn F. Matira

Melizze Yvonne P. Mejico

Hannah Nicole B. Pioquid

Niezl Joy Reyes

IBSA-1
 MASS MEDIA AND SOCIAL MEDIA
Computer is an electronic device that receives input, stores or processes the input as per user instructions
and provides output in desired format. Computer input is called data and the output obtained after
processing it, based on user’s instructions is called information. Raw facts and figures which can be
processed using arithmetic and logical operations to obtain information are called data. The basic parts
of a computer are as follows:

Input Unit − Devices like keyboard and mouse that are used to input data and instructions to the
computer are called input unit.

Output Unit − Devices like printer and visual display unit that are used to provide information to the
user in desired format are called output unit.

Control Unit − As the name suggests, this unit controls all the functions of the computer. All devices or
parts of computer interact through the control unit.

Arithmetic Logic Unit − This is the brain of the computer where all arithmetic operations and logical
operations take place.

Memory − All input data, instructions and data interim to the processes are stored in the memory.
Memory is of two types – primary memory and secondary memory. Primary memory resides within the
CPU whereas secondary memory is external to it. Control unit, arithmetic logic unit and memory are
together called the central processing unit or CPU.

Computer devices like keyboard, mouse, printer, etc. that we can see and touch are the hardware
components of a computer. The set of instructions or programs that make the computer function using
these hardware parts are called software. We cannot see or touch software. Both hardware and software
are necessary for working of a computer.

Speed − Typically, a computer can carry out 3-4 million instructions per second.

Accuracy − Computers exhibit a very high degree of accuracy. Errors that may occur are usually due to
inaccurate data, wrong instructions or bug in chips – all human errors.

Reliability − Computers can carry out same type of work repeatedly without throwing up errors due to
tiredness or boredom, which are very common among humans.

Versatility − Computers can carry out a wide range of work from data entry and ticket booking to
complex mathematical calculations and continuous astronomical observations. If you can input the
necessary data with correct instructions, computer will do the processing.

Storage Capacity − Computers can store a very large amount of data at a fraction of cost of traditional
storage of files. Also, data is safe from normal wear and tear associated with paper.

Shortcut Keys Description

Alt+F - File menu options in current program.

Alt+E - Edit options in current program.

Alt+Tab - Switch between open programs

F1 - View help information (F1 is used by almost every Windows program to display help).

F2 - Rename a selected file.

F5 - Refresh the current program window.

Ctrl+N - Create a new or blank document in some software, or open a new tab in most Internet
browsers.

Ctrl+O - Open a file in the current software.

Ctrl+A - Select all text.

Ctrl+B - Change selected text to be bold.

Ctrl+I - Change selected text to be in italics.

Ctrl+U - Change selected text to be underlined.

Ctrl+F - Open find window for current document or window.

Ctrl+S - Save current document file.

Ctrl+X - Cut selected item.

Shift+Del-Cut selected item.

Ctrl+C - Copy selected item.

Ctrl+Ins- Copy selected item

Ctrl+V - Paste

Shift+Ins - Paste

Ctrl+Y - Redo last action.

Ctrl+Z - Undo last action.

Ctrl+K - Insert hyperlink for selected text.

Ctrl+P - Print the current page or document.

Home - Goes to beginning of current line.

Ctrl+Home - Goes to beginning of document.

End - Goes to end of current line. Ctrl+End - Goes to end of document.

Shift+Home - Highlights from current position to beginning of line.

Shift+End - Highlights from current position to end of line.

Ctrl+Left arrow - Moves one word to the left at a time.

Ctrl+Right arrow - Moves one word to the right at a time.

Ctrl+Esc - Opens the Start menu.

Ctrl+Shift+Esc - Opens Windows Task Manager.

Alt+F4 - Close the currently active program.

Alt+Enter - Open the properties for the selected item (file, folder, shortcut, etc.).
 GENDER ISSUES IN MASS MEDIA
The source that the majority of the general public uses to get their news and information from is
considered mass media. Mass media means technology that is intended to reach a mass audience. It is
the primary means of communication used to reach the vast majority of the general public. The most
common platforms for mass media are newspapers, magazines, radio, television, and the Internet. The
general public typically relies on the mass media to provide information regarding political issues, social
issues, entertainment, and news in pop culture.

The mass media are diversified media technologies that are intended to reach a large audience by
mass communication. The technologies through which this communication takes place varies.
Broadcast media such as radio, recorded music, film and television transmit their information
electronically. Print media use a physical object such as a newspaper, book, pamphlet or comics, to
distribute their information. Outdoor media is a form of mass media that comprises billboards, signs or
placards placed inside and outside of commercial buildings, sports stadiums, shops and buses. Other
outdoor media include flying billboards (signs in tow of airplanes), blimps, and skywriting Public
speaking and event organising can also be considered as forms of mass media. The digital media
comprises both Internet and mobile mass communication. Internet media provides many mass media
services, such as email, websites, blogs, and internet based radio and television. Many other mass media
outlets have a presence on the web, by such things as having TV ads that link to a website, or
distributing a QR Code in print or outdoor media to direct a mobile user to a website. In this way, they
can utilise the easy accessibility that the Internet has, and the outreach that Internet affords, as
information can easily be broadcast to many different regions of the world simultaneously and cost-
efficiently. The organizations that control these technologies, such as television stations or publishing
companies, are also known as the mass media.

Studies have found that although the number of women working in the media has been
increasing globally, the top positions (producers, executives, chief editors and publishers) are still very
male dominated (White, 2009). This disparity is particularly evident in Africa, where cultural
impediments to women fulfilling the role of journalist remain (e.g. travelling away from home, evening
work and covering issues such as politics and sports which are considered to fall within the masculine
domain) (Myers, 2009). The Global Media Monitoring Project (GMMP) reports that throughout the
world, female journalists are more likely to be assigned ‘soft’ subjects such as family, lifestyle, fashion
and arts. The ‘hard’ news, politics and the economy, is much less likely to be written or covered by
women.

The level of participation and influence of women in the media also has implications for media
content: female media professionals are more likely to reflect other women’s needs and perspectives
than their male colleagues. It is important to acknowledge, however, that not all women working in the
media will be gender aware and prone to cover women’s needs and perspectives; and it is not impossible
for men to effectively cover gender issues. Recent research from 18 disparate countries shows that male
and female journalists’ attitudes do not differ significantly (Hanitzsch & Hanusch, 2012). Nonetheless,
the presence of women on the radio, television and in print is more likely to provide positive role models
for women and girls, to gain the confidence of women as sources and interviewees, and to attract a
female audience.

Fair gender portrayal in the media should be a professional and ethical aspiration, similar to
respect for accuracy, fairness and honesty (White, 2009). Yet, unbalanced gender portrayal is
widespread. The Global Media Monitoring Project finds that women are more likely than men to be
featured as victims in news stories and to be identified according to family status. Women are also far
less likely than men to be featured in the world’s news headlines, and to be relied upon as
‘spokespeople’ or as ‘experts’. Certain categories of women, such as the poor, older women, or those
belonging to ethnic minorities, are even less visible.
 Stereotypes are also prevalent in every day media. Women are often portrayed solely as
homemakers and carers of the family, dependent on men, or as objects of male attention. Stories by
female reporters are more likely to challenge stereotypes than those filed by male reporters (Gallagher et
al., 2010). As such, there is a link between the participation of women in the media and improvements in
the representation of women.

Men are also subjected to stereotyping in the media. They are typically characterised as powerful
and dominant. There is little room for alternative visions of masculinity. The media tends to demean
men in caring or domestic roles, or those who oppose violence. Such portrayals can influence
perceptions in terms of what society may expect from men and women, but also what they may expect
from themselves. They promote an unbalanced vision of the roles of women and men in society.

Attention needs to be paid to identifying and addressing these various gender imbalances and
gaps in the media. The European Commission (2010) recommends, for example, that there should be a
set expectation of gender parity on expert panels on television or radio and the creation of a thematic
database of women to be interviewed and used as experts by media professionals. In addition, conscious
efforts should be made to portray women and men in non-stereotypical situations.
 GENDER ISSUES IN SOCIAL MEDIA
The 'social' part: refers to interacting with other people by sharing information with them and
receiving information from them.

The 'media' part: refers to an instrument of communication, like the internet (while TV, radio,
and newspapers are examples of more traditional forms of media). From these two separate terms, we
can pull a basic definition together: Social media are web-based communication tools that enable people
to interact with each other by both sharing and consuming information.

In a certain extent, the problem of gender-based online harassment should dates back to the
Internet early time. Telecommunications Act of 1996, as an example, is the first piece of legislation to
address Internet access in the United States, allowing a greater competition with progressive
deregulation in the telecommunication sector.
The use of new technologies such as social media and smart phone, can potentially create
dramatic changes in promoting greater connectivity and new form of social interactions. In other words,
new communication technologies have become fresh sources of power and force to the topic of social
relations and gender inequality.
Society has created double standards for gender roles and because of this, women are judged
more harshly than men. For example, women posting provocative photos, how women are raised by
their parents and women in the work force. These are just few things people pick out and make a big
deal out of. One big issue is when women post provocative photos on social media versus men posting
provocative photos. Women get so much criticism when they post a provocative photo on social media.
Sometimes it’s so bad the photos get reported and taken off the web.

When a guy posts a nude or provocative photo on social media, people comment with support.
When people encourage this kind of behaviour, it leads the younger generations to thinking it’s okay to
treat women that way. This tends to happen more often on celebrities’ social media accounts than on
private people’s accounts.

After all these double standards men and women have, women still have to fight harder to climb
the ladder of success. It’s time to let everyone know that this really is a problem and that it shouldn’t be
one. You can do your part by holding women to the same standards as men because they are just strong
and capable as men.
 FORMS OF GENDER DISCRIMINATION
IN SOCIAL MEDIA
Online harassment
The use of new technologies for the facilitation of online sexual harassment is a growing
phenomenon. The gender inequality in larger society become an unsolvable problem due to the cause of
online harassment. Forms of online harassment can vary widely, from cyberbullying to gender based
shaming to outright sexual threat. Social media enables the distribution of sexual image, footage,
message and other contents of gender discrimination to be shared around the world without geographic
boundaries, resulting in an unpredictable outcome to the society as well as the victim, as each individual
has different level of impact after experiencing gender-based shaming and humiliation online. Due to
the complex dynamics and the large volume of data, many social media companies struggle to enforce
and generalize standards. With many uncontrolled aspects, about 40% of internet users experienced
harassment while females were significantly more likely to be a victim of online sexual harassment,
cyberbullying and insulting comments. Also, women in particular age indicated a significantly higher
rate of threat, as stalking and sexual harassment are more prevalent among young women than among
young men. Study found that women ages 18-24 are two to three times as likely to have stalked online
and have experienced online sexual harassment than women ages 25-29. Moreover, women are more
likely to be upset by online harassment by indicating “extremely” or “very” upsetting, representing a
greater negative impact for female when they experienced online harassment. However, it is also
important to take gender-based sexual harassment against males into account, as harassment and other
forms of discrimination (i.e. “trolling”, “flaming” and cyberpornography) are also equally significant
and growing problems.

Derivative Work
The rise of derivative work in social media can be another form of gender discrimination, as
social media allows a high degree of freedom for people to re-create and re-design other people’s work.
The rising number of derivative work indicates the phenomenon of self-complacency for the creators as
well as their audiences, as they are satisfied with what they do and receive in social media without a
consideration of other's opinion and attitude. Without limitation, a great amount of gender-based
derivative work with gender discrimination content can be found in social media. In fact, more
regulations are being introduced by different countries in order to protect people’s property and
indirectly eliminate social problems such as gender discrimination in social media.

Commercial Ads
Commercial advertisements (i.e. digital ads) are the powerful tool used for creating influences,
attitudinal and opinion changes, as they can be effectively and efficiently shaped receivers’
opinions. Containing dominant characteristics of the reality are often seen in advertisement text, leading
to the phenomenon of gender stereotypes is being used in advertisements. For example, delivering
messaging through sexual jokes in advertisement can be labelled as online sexual harassment.
Persuasion by advertisements in social media can arguably be more effective in the 2000s, as there are
more than 2 billion monthly active users only on Facebook, representing a huge potential for digital
advertisements in social media to dominate the commercial market and the digital world.
Others
 Recruitment
Gender-based online harassment and the effect of it on women can be found in their personal
lives as well as their professional careers. The growth in the popularity of social media accounts has
become a platform for managers with the purpose of hiring. Before arranging a face-to-face meeting
with candidates, managers can access candidates’ social media profiles and make judgments on
them. In fact, study indicates that both male and female tended to judge the female candidate primarily
based on their appearances, while they tended to form an opinion about the male candidate based on the
content of their profile page. Moreover, about 40% of recruiters were using social media to evaluate
candidates, and one third of managers admitting that social media will be used on the future recruitment
and hiring process.
 Transgender discrimination
Transgender-related issues were popular in the field of gender discrimination. The jokes about
transgender are profound in different social media websites. However, social media such as Facebook
and YouTube also became an important network and space for transgender individuals to interact with
each other. More people around the world might begin to notice transgender people and their
willingness in a snowball effect by using social media as a platform.

BENEFICIAL ROLES OF SOCIAL MEDIA

Social media can play a critical role in affecting changes for preventing and eliminating gender
discrimination and in mobilizing communities and individuals. However, there was little evidence that
social media alone could be effective in changing a lifetime issue of gender discrimination. It could
serve as the starting point and a powerful tool to foster change for the prevention of gender
discrimination. Indeed, these fundamental changes of the long-term gender discrimination are
challenging and varied. They can be linked to a complex series of actions ranging from community
mobilization to attitudinal and behavior change in social relationships, discourses and norms. Therefore,
social media can be the most effective tool when connected to other interventions, as another study
indicates sexism in social media could improve women’s wellbeing because of the potential of women
empowerment and possibility of gaining supports through collective actions. [ With the growth of social
media, geographic boundaries indeed would not limit the possibility to gain supports from the public.

SOURCES:

https://study.com/academy/lesson/what-is-mass-media-definition-types-influence-examples.html

https://www.sciencedaily.com/terms/mass_media.htm

https://gsdrc.org/topic-guides/gender/gender-and-media/

https://wiki.ubc.ca/GRSJ224/Gender_Discrimination_in_Social_Media