
Courtesy of Hugh Jackman’s Twitter
There are successful social media strategies and then there’s going viral. The ALS Ice Bucket Challenge took the interwebs by storm because it flawlessly blended narcissistic millennial tendencies and the pretext of difficulty by making it socially acceptable (lauded, even) to strip down and douse yourself with freezing water. Enter the most recent attempt to repeat this roaring success: #FeelingNuts, a campaign that calls men to photograph themselves grabbing…themselves and using the hashtag to raise awareness for testicular cancer. However, one way that the #FeelingNuts phenomenon differs from the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge in that it doesn’t capture that same feeling of challenging yourself – all that’s required is an internet connection and pair of testicles.
Which leads to the true reason #FeelingNuts is unlikely to dominate the social media landscape: it excludes women. And that, my friend, is a catastrophic mistake.
According to Pew Research Center, the average proportion of women who used social media sites between May 2008 and May 2013 was 8 percentage points higher than men. Moreover, among internet users (and golly, who isn’t one?), 72% of women engage with Facebook, in comparison to 62% of women.
By itself, this data isn’t particularly convincing – the margins are relatively small, even if they are statistically significant. But things start to get really interesting when you factor in gendered differences in social awareness and practice.
First, women tend to cultivate their sense of self by taking into account the influence of others around them (also known as an “interdependent construal of self”), indicating that women’s identities to some extent depend on how we relate to others.* The phrase “To some extent” is critical because everyone, men and women alike, fall on a spectrum of interdependence. But again, men and women diverge. Whereas women are more relationally oriented, men place a greater emphasis on group memberships and large collectives, finding themselves through greater communities (sports teams, clubs, etc.) rather than person-to-person.** Finally, when compared with women, men prefer discussing less personal topics, like sports and politics, to relationships.***
At this point, you would probably chew your own arm off if it meant I would stop citing (fascinating) psychological studies, so let’s bring it home: I hypothesize that #FeelingNuts won’t remotely approach the level of success the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge enjoyed because it excludes women, a population whose identity hinges on social interaction, who transcend group barriers, and don’t actively dislike discussing themselves.
What do you think – do you agree?
*Aron, Aron, & Smollan, 1992; Brewer & Gardner, 1996; Markus & Kitayama, 1991
**Baumeister & Sommer, 1997
***Aries & Johnson, 1983
You could definitely see your skills in the work you write.
The world hopes for even more passionate writers like you who are not afraid to mention how they believe.
Always go after your heart.
whoah this weblog is great i love reading your posts.
Stay up the good work! You recognize, lots of individuals are
hunting round for this information, you can aid them greatly.
This is a good tip particularly to those fresh to the blogosphere.
Simple but very precise information… Thanks for sharing this one.
A must read article!
Fantastic beat ! I would like to apprentice while you amend your site, how can i subscribe for a blog website?
The account aided me a acceptable deal. I had been a
little bit acquainted of this your broadcast offered bright
clear concept
Pretty section of content. I just stumbled upon your
blog and in accession capital to assert that
I acquire in fact enjoyed account your blog posts. Any way I
will be subscribing to your augment and even I achievement
you access consistently fast.
Quality posts is the main to be a focus for the users to go to see
the web page, that’s what this site is providing.
Hello, i read your blog occasionally and i own a similar one and i was just curious if you get
a lot of spam comments? If so how do you protect
against it, any plugin or anything you can recommend?
I get so much lately it’s driving me insane so any assistance is very much appreciated.
Look into my site: ซื้อหวยออนไลน์
Tremendous issues here. I am very satisfied to see your article.
Thank you a lot and I am taking a look ahead to touch you.
Will you kindly drop me a mail?
my web site: http://Thekitchenconnection-Nc.Com
whoah this weblog is wonderful i like studying your articles.
Keep up the great work! You recognize, a lot of individuals are searching around for this
info, you could help them greatly.
If you wish for to grow your familiarity only keep visiting this web site
and be updated with the most recent information posted here.
먹튀폴리스는 먹튀검증커뮤니티로써 꽁머니 제공은 물론,
먹튀사이트의 먹튀검증을 위한 검증사이트입니다.
먹튀폴리스 먹튀검증커뮤니티를 통해 신규 먹튀사이트 정보와 기존 토토사이트의 철저한 검증으로
먹튀없는 시대를 만들어가고 있습니다.
먹튀검증 먹튀폴리스를 사랑하는 여러분의 많은
호응바랍니다.
My brother suggested I may like this web site.
He was once totally right. This publish truly made my
day. You can not believe just how much time I had spent for this info!
Thanks!
Thanks for sharing your info. I truly appreciate your
efforts and I will be waiting for your further write ups thanks once again.
Attractive section of content. I just stumbled upon your web site and in accession capital to
assert that I acquire in fact enjoyed account
your blog posts. Anyway I’ll be subscribing to your augment and even I achievement you access consistently rapidly.
Nice post. I learn something new and challenging on websites
I stumbleupon on a daily basis. It will always be helpful to read articles from other writers and practice something
from other web sites.
Hi there, yeah this post is truly pleasant and I have learned lot of things from it about blogging.
thanks.