Good Question!

Is Twitter for Girls?

John Hudson 60 Views Mar 16, 2010

Of the millions of Twitter users, only around 50% have ever tweeted. Clearly not everyone's a natural-born tweeter. And this makes sense, suggests Vanity Fair's Michael Wolff, because "Twitter is for girls." Wolff explores this provocative idea, which he claims was supplied by a friend "from the high media stratosphere." He reasons through his "friend's point," arguing that because Twitter is primarily a social tool, it may be well-suited for women.

The form seems to sing most when it’s about relationships and fashion...what more compelling Twitter content is there than a young woman setting out for the evening, all expectations colored by certain disappointment.

It's also a medium that's perfect for would-be writers. And Wolff's willing to bet all of his books on the fact that "many more women than men see themselves as would-be writers."

The very notion of social media, if you think about it, is obviously more female than male. It seems striking that we overlooked this little factor in thinking about the shape of technology to come and the development of Web 2.0 and 3.0: Men aren’t very social. Again, to stereotype, but who would disagree? Men are hermetic; women gregarious.

Is Wolff--or rather, Wolff's friend--on to something?

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John Hudson

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