Is cyberspace a new communicative space for women?

Abstract

This paper reviews two books that explore the emerging properties of the Internet and their possible consequences for social structure and human interaction. Discussing the separate summaries of the books, two contradictory perceptions of Information and Communications Technologies (ICTs) are presented: 1) the Internet is creating a new women's communicative space where they can gain power and collective knowledge; 2) it is exacerbating the loss of community and causing more economic disparity, thereby destructuring real space. In particular, the chapter by Inayatullah and Milojevic points out the negative aspects of the Internet as it becomes a playground for unethical behavior, which has increased over the years. Overall, the contributor of the two books recognizes the potential of ICTs to foster significant social and economic changes without ignoring considerations of power, economic advantage, human agency, social struggle, and resistance as significant factors. Moreover, proposals for increasing women's engagement with ICTs and strategies for equality are carefully developed.