Bibliography

Bimber, B. (2000). Measuring the Gender Gap on the Internet. Social Science Quarterly, 3, 868-876.

The article evaluates the differences in the rates of Internet use between men and women in the United States. The Internet has a reputation for being biased toward the interests and styles of menu. Speculative reasons for this reputation abound, including, gender inequality in the professions and industries producing the technologies of the Internet, the commercial success of male-oriented pornography on the Internet, and even on-line sexual harassment that echoes behavior in male-dominated workplaces. Survey data from a variety of sources are consistent with these anecdotal impressions. The fact that surveys have found differences between men and women in Internet use is not in itself surprising. Many media exhibit patterns of use that differ between men and women. For instance, women watch more total hours of television than do men, but fewer hours of regular television news. Compared with men, women are intensive consumers of news from many sources, especially newspapers and newsmagazines, yet are more likely than men to watch a television news special or documentary.

Weiser, E.B. (2000). Gender Differences in Internet Use Patterns and Internet Application Preferences: A Two-Sample Comparison. CyberPsychology & Behavior, 3, 167-178.

This article presents results from a survey assessing gender differences in specific uses of the Internet. The survey included 19 items and was made available to Internet users. For comparison, a paper-and-pencil version was administered to several hundred introductory psychology students. Numerous gender differences in preferences for specific Internet applications emerged. Results showed that males use the Internet mainly for purposes related to entertainment and leisure, whereas women use it primarily for interpersonal communication and educational assistance.

Oblinger, D. and Oblinger, J. (2006). Is It Age or IT: First Steps Toward Understanding the Net Generation. CSLA Journal, 29, 8-16.

The article focuses on the steps to understanding the Net Generation (Net Gen) college students and their use of technology in the U.S. Net Gen students were using computers by the time they were 16 to 18 years of age. Their exposure to information technology starts at very young ages with various screen media present at homes. With this regard, children may be developing greater digital literacy than siblings who are just a few years older.

Squire, K. and Steinkuehler, C. (2005). Meet the Gamers: They Research, Teach, Learn, and Collaborate. So Far, without Libraries. Library Journal, 130, 38-41.

The article profiles computer games and computer game players. Why pay attention to games? Game cultures promote various types of information literacy, develop information seeking habits and production practices (like writing), and require good, old-fashioned research skills, albeit using a wide spectrum of content. Librarians can't afford to ignore gamers. Knowledge seeking and creation is common in digital spaces. Groups of people from around the world solve problems with an array of information, digital tools, resources, screen shots, and arguments. For a generation raised with the Internet, instantaneous access to both information and the social networks for which that information is relevant is the norm. This article looks at how can we can respond to this gamer world. One option suggested is to develop a deeper understanding of emergent digital literacies and find ways to put library cultures into conversation with gaming cultures.