Gender Communication

Gender Communication



Differences in Male and feminine Communication Styles

Introduction

Contemporarily, we are passing through a transformation phase where communication technologies are shaping the destinies of 'new world'. Old fashion capital and labour-intensive technologies are being replaced by the innovative technologies which include robotics, cellular communications, miniature motors, super computers, software production and high performance materials. Contemporary technological advancement and improvement like internet and computer mediated communication indicate that the communication technology revolution is still young. Significant aspects of this revolution include speed, integrity, sophistication, and cost. Interestingly, the high cost of telecommunication has been reduced drastically as compared to what it was in the last decade: almost negligible. Similarly, superconductivity and data compression and integration techniques have made it possible to produce 'mobisodes' - short episodes for mobile viewers, and 'webisodes' - minidramas to view on net and in advertisements.

Discussion Communication media are technological institutions and some quarters claim that men have dominated the technology and women have been excluded from the connection of human and technology However, majority believe that there is no gender discrimination in using technology especially the Cellular technology - a collection of the newest digital technologies. It is such an expressive device that allows us to express complex social behaviors and individual patterns of communication. Gilligan (1982, p.17) puts it in right perspective while saying that 'the discovery now being celebrated by men in mid-life of the importance of intimacy, relationships, and care is something that women have known from the beginning.' However, this research paper attempts to see it from a different angle as what are the differences of technological use (mobile phone in this case) and what motives they attempt to gratify and how far they are different in their usage from men. (Harper 2010)

The studies on mobile phone use draw on the telephone research based on uses and gratifications perspective. They attempt to explain the reasons people make use of (mobile) phone and what kinds of expectations or gratifications people like to have in (mobile) phone. (Canary 2006) According to phone investigations, generally two classes of motives are discovered: instrumental or task-oriented and intrinsic or communal motives Intrinsic use means that persons broadcast with other ones through telephone for the reason of companionship or reassurance, while instrumental use mentions to use of phone for utility, for demonstration, information searching or making appointments. But the reasons people use mobile phones are a bit different from the reasons they use telephones. (Kanter 1994) Leung & Wei (2000) found not only social and instrumental motives of mobile phone use but mobility, immediacy, and fashion/status motives as well. In a similar way, Bae (2001) shows that the Korean people's satisfactions sought from mobile phone are entertainment, sociability, transaction, Immediacy and privacy. In his study, immediacy and privacy reflect the characteristics of mobile phone communication. Besides, Lee (2001) suggests a variety of motives of Korean college students, like; time management, face and conformity, and showing off. It means that there are diverse types and dimensions of reasons ...