WHAT ABOUT GENDER BASED PSEUDONYMS IN BLOGS?

Semahat Isil Acikalin ()
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Semahat Isil Acikalin: Anadolu University

Anadolu University Journal of Social Sciences, 2008, vol. 8, issue 1, 275-284

Abstract: In computer mediated communication there are no visual or auditory clues to indicate speaker’s gender. Usually pseudonyms are used by the participants to hide explicit identity. In blogs (which are personal journals or reversed chronological commentaries) pseudonymous usage is very common. However, pseudonyms may give clues on the gender of a blogger. So, this study aims at investigating the following hypothesis: Males prefer to use pseudonyms whose connotative meanings refer to power, fear and authority, whereas females prefer to use pseudonyms about domestic issues, style and names concerning nature with positive meanings. 40 male and 40 female pseudonyms chosen by the bloggers are taken into consideration. The demographic information concerning their real gender was available on their home page. The results of the study showed that the connotative meaning of pseudonyms used in blogs reveal the gender differences no matter how hard they try to hide their gender identity.

Keywords: Pseudonym; blogs; linguistic gender differences (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Z00 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2008
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