Guiller and Durndell claim that “the discussion groups with the highest proportion of females tended to have the greatest proportion of female language features, positive socioemotional responses and self-disclosure”. After reading this passage, I realized that this same claim could be made about our linguistics class. The women out numbered the men by almost two to one, and there seemed to be numerous positive responses and self-disclosures. Of the posts I read this semester, most of the responses were positive and agreeable. There were nearly zero arguments or instances of verbal posturing in the discussion boards, and there was plenty of self-disclosure.
Because of the “female” atmosphere, I felt comfortable writing in a more subjective style and allowed my feelings to show more than I would have if the majority were male. The more men there are in a group, the more competive I feel. Thus, my writing becomes more technical and objective in the presence of other men. Around women, I feel more comfortable being myself, and allowing my thoughts to flow more openly. In the db’s, it seemed that everyone was agreeing with everyone else because the “point” of the db’s was to build each other up and share ideas. I actually enjoyed writing in this online community, and felt that I could be more open and honest because the most likely response to my posts would be positive.
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