Gendered perspectives on digital skills and digital activities: Comparing non-binary and binary youth

 David De Coninck, Universidad Católica de Lovaina (Belgium)

 Leen d’Haenens, Universidad Católica de Lovaina (Belgium)

https://doi.org/10.3916/C75-2023-03

Keywords

Non-binary, gender, young people, digital skills, LGBTQ, digital activities

Abstract

Previous research on gender differences in young people’s digital development has shown that boys and girls differ in frequency and type of internet use, but vital gaps in the literature remain. In recent years, gender is increasingly considered to be a multidimensional concept with a growing number of young people identifying as non-binary (i.e. genderfluid, an umbrella term for gender identities that are not conforming to the male/female dichotomy). Non-binary youth more frequently engage with a variety of digital risks such as misinformation, cyberbullying, and co-rumination than binary youth. Despite this, no research so far has investigated how digital development differs between non-binary and binary youth. In this online survey study among adolescents in six European countries (N=6,221), we focus on differences in digital skills and digital activities. Non-binary youth tend to make greater use of the internet for content creation and mental and physical health information than boys and girls. They also report greater content creation skills than boys and girls. Disparities in terms of entertainment and social relationship use are also found. Furthermore, findings on digital skills indicate that non-binary youth closely mirror boys in this regard. We conclude with recommendations for future research that should help bolster our understanding of how digital contexts may predict the development and well-being of non-binary youth.

References

Balo?lu, M., ?ahin, R., & Arpaci, I. (2020). A review of recent research in problematic internet use: Gender and cultural differences. Current Opinion in Psychology, 36, 124-129. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.copsyc.2020.05.008

Link DOI | Link Google Scholar

Bloemen, N., & De Coninck, D. (2020). Social media and Fear of Missing Out in adolescents: The role of family characteristics. Social Media + Society, 6(4). https://doi.org/10.1177/2056305120965517

Link DOI | Link Google Scholar

Chernick, M.R. (2011). Bootstrap methods: A guide for practitioners and researchers. John Wiley & Sons. https://bit.ly/3VicKCG

Link Google Scholar

Clark, B.A., Veale, J.F., Townsend, M., Frohard-Dourlent, H., & Saewyc, E. (2018). Non-binary youth: Access to gender-affirming primary health care. International Journal of Transgenderism, 19(2), 158-169. https://doi.org/10.1080/15532739.2017.1394954

Link DOI | Link Google Scholar

Craig, S.L., & McInroy, L. (2014). You can form a part of yourself online: The influence of new media on identity development and coming out for LGBTQ youth. Journal of Gay & Lesbian Mental Health, 18(1), 95-109. https://doi.org/10.1080/19359705.2013.777007

Link DOI | Link Google Scholar

Eurostat (Ed.) (2020). Being young in Europe today – digital world. https://bit.ly/3m6Foqh

Link Google Scholar

Fish, J.N., McInroy, L.B., Paceley, M.S., Williams, N.D., Henderson, S., Levine, D.S., & Edsall, R.N. (2020). “I'm kinda stuck at home with unsupportive parents right now”: LGBTQ youths' experiences with COVID-19 and the importance of online support. Journal of Adolescent Health, 67(3), 450-452. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jadohealth.2020.06.002

Link DOI | Link Google Scholar

GLSEN., CiPHR., & CCRC (2013). Out online: The experiences of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender youth on the Internet. GLSEN. https://bit.ly/3Fcpl4P

Link Google Scholar

Gui, M., & Argentin, G. (2011). Digital skills of internet natives: Different forms of digital literacy in a random sample of northern Italian high school students. New Media & Society, 13(6), 963-980. https://doi.org/10.1177/1461444810389751

Link DOI | Link Google Scholar

Haddon, L., Cino, D., Doyle, M.A., Livingstone, S., Mascheroni, G., & Stoilova, M. (2020). Children’s and young people’s digital skills: A systematic evidence review. KU Leuven: ySKILLS. https://bit.ly/3u9WxTX

Link Google Scholar

Hatchel, T., Polanin, J.R., & Espelage, D.L. (2021a). Suicidal thoughts and behaviors among LGBTQ youth: Meta-analyses and a systematic review. Archives of Suicide Research, 25(1), 1-37. https://doi.org/10.1080/13811118.2019.1663329

Link DOI | Link Google Scholar

Hatchel, T., Torgal, C., El Sheikh, A.J., Robinson, L.E., Valido, A., & Espelage, D.L. (2021b). LGBTQ youth and digital media: Online risks. In M.F. Wright, & L.B. Schiamberg (Eds.), Child and adolescent online risk exposure: An ecological perspective (pp. 303-325). Academic Press. https://doi.org/10.1016/B978-0-12-817499-9.00015-6

Link DOI | Link Google Scholar

Hatchel, T.J., Subrahmanyam, K., & Birkett, M. (2017). The digital development of LGBTQ youth: Identity, sexuality, and intimacy. In M.F. Wright (Ed.), Identity, sexuality, and relationships among emerging adults in the digital age (pp. 61-74). IGI Global. https://doi.org/10.4018/978-1-5225-1856-3.ch005

Link DOI | Link Google Scholar

Helsper, E.J., Schneider, L.S., van-Deursen, A.J.A.M., & van-Laar, E. (2020). The youth Digital Skills Indicator: Report on the conceptualisation and development of the ySKILLS digital skills measure. ySKILLS. https://bit.ly/3injX5z

Link Google Scholar

Herring, S.C., & Kapidzic, S. (2015). Teens, gender, and self-presentation in social media. In J.D. Wright (Ed.), International encyclopedia of social and behavioral sciences, 2nd edition (pp. 146-152). Elsevier. https://doi.org/10.1016/B978-0-08-097086-8.64108-9

Link DOI | Link Google Scholar

Lenhart, A. (2012). Teens and online video. Pew Internet and American Life Project. https://pewrsr.ch/3PgOzlY

Link Google Scholar

Lenhart, A., Madden, M., Macgill, A.R., & Smith, A. (2007). Teens and social media. Pew Internet and American Life Project. https://pewrsr.ch/3GRGGRx

Link Google Scholar

Livingstone, S., & Bovill, M. (1999). Young people, new media: report of the research project Children Young People and the Changing Media Environment. Media@LSE. https://bit.ly/3iL0VpY

Link Google Scholar

Livingstone, S., Mascheroni, G., & Staksrud, E. (2018). European research on children’s internet use: Assessing the past and anticipating the future. New Media & Society, 20(3), 1103-1122. https://doi.org/10.1177/1461444816685930

Link DOI | Link Google Scholar

Livingstone, S., Mascheroni, G., & Stoilova, M. (2021). The outcomes of gaining digital skills for young people’s lives and wellbeing: A systematic evidence review. New Media & Society. https://doi.org/10.1177/14614448211043189

Link DOI | Link Google Scholar

Lucero, L. (2017). Safe spaces in online places: Social media and LGBTQ youth. Multicultural Education Review, 9(2), 117-128. https://doi.org/10.1080/2005615X.2017.1313482

Link DOI | Link Google Scholar

Mascheroni, G., & Ólafsson, K. (2016). The mobile Internet: Access, use, opportunities and divides among European children. New Media & Society, 18(8), 1657-1679. https://doi.org/10.1177/1461444814567986

Link DOI | Link Google Scholar

Mascheroni, G., Cino, D., Mikuška, J., & Smahel, D. (2022). Explaining inequalities in vulnerable children’s digital skills: The effect of individual and social discrimination. New Media & Society, 24(2), 437-457. https://doi.org/10.1177/14614448211063184

Link DOI | Link Google Scholar

McInroy, L.B., Craig, S.L., & Leung, V.W. (2019a). Platforms and patterns for practice: LGBTQ+ youths’ use of information and communication technologies. Child and Adolescent Social Work Journal, 36(5), 507-520. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10560-018-0577-x

Link DOI | Link Google Scholar

McInroy, L.B., McCloskey, R.J., Craig, S.L., & Eaton, A.D. (2019b). LGBTQ+ youths’ community engagement and resource seeking online versus offline. Journal of Technology in Human Services, 37(4), 315-333. https://doi.org/10.1080/15228835.2019.1617823

Link DOI | Link Google Scholar

Meyer, I.H., Frost, D.M., & Nezhad, S. (2015). Minority stress and suicide in lesbians, gay men, and bisexuals. In P. Goldblum, D.L. Espelage, J. Chu, & B. Bongar (Eds.), Youth suicide and bullying: Challenges and strategies for prevention and intervention (pp. 177-187). Oxford University Press. https://doi.org/10.1093/med:psych/9780199950706.003.0015

Link DOI | Link Google Scholar

Morahan-Martin, J. (1998). The gender gap in Internet use: Why men use the Internet more than women—A literature review. CyberPsychology & Behavior, 1(1), 3-10. https://doi.org/10.1089/cpb.1998.1.3

Link DOI | Link Google Scholar

Pokhrel, S., & Chhetri, R. (2021). A literature review on impact of COVID-19 pandemic on teaching and learning. Higher Education for the Future, 8(1), 133-141. https://doi.org/10.1177/2347631120983481

Link DOI | Link Google Scholar

Rideout, V.J., Foehr, U.G., & Roberts D.F. (2010). Generation M: Media in the lives of 8-to 18- year-olds. Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation. http://bit.ly/3Vf26ww

Link Google Scholar

Robinson, L., Schulz, J., Blank, G., Ragnedda, M., Ono, H., Mesch, G.S., Cotten, S.R., Kretchmer, S.B., Hale, T.M., Drabowicz, T., Yan, P., Wellman, B., Harper, M.G., Quan-Haase, A., Dunn, H.S., Casilli, A.A., Tubaro, P., Carvath, R., … Khilnani, A. (2020). Digital inequalities 2.0: Legacy inequalities in the information age. First Monday,25(7). https://doi.org/10.5210/fm.v25i7.10842

Link DOI | Link Google Scholar

Rodríguez-de-Dios, I., & Igartua, J.J. (2016). Skills of digital literacy to address the risks of interactive communication. Journal of Information Technology Research, 9(1), 54-64. https://doi/org/10.4018/JITR.2016010104

Link Google Scholar

Rose, A.J. (2002). Co-rumination in the friendships of girls and boys. Child Development, 73(6), 1830-1843. https://doi.org/10.1111/1467-8624.00509

Link DOI | Link Google Scholar

Schwarzer, R., & Jerusalem, M. (1995). Generalized self-efficacy scale. In J. Weinman, S. Wright, & M. Johnston (Eds.), Measures in health psychology: A user’s portfolio. Causal and control beliefs (pp. 35-37). NFER-NELSON. https://doi.org/10.1037/t00393-000

Link DOI | Link Google Scholar

Singh, S. (2001). Gender and the use of the Internet at home. New Media & Society, 3(4), 395-415. https://doi.org/10.1177/1461444801003004001

Link DOI | Link Google Scholar

Sousa, M.A., Lima, M.D.O., & Oliveira, P.A. (2020). Digital media and risks involved for the LGBT community. European Journal of Public Health, 30, 166-802. https://doi.org/10.1093/eurpub/ckaa166.802

Link DOI | Link Google Scholar

Tian, Y., Zuo, T., Sun, Q., Sun, L., Cao, S., & Qin, N. (2021). The association between generalized and specific problematic internet use and its gender differences across different educational levels. Frontiers in Psychology, 12, 634581. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2021.634581

Link DOI | Link Google Scholar

Valkenburg, P.M., Peter, J., & Schouten, A.P. (2006). Friend networking sites and their relationship to adolescents’ well-being and social self-esteem. Cyberpsychology & Behavior, 9(5), 584-590. https://doi.org/10.1089/cpb.2006.9.584

Link DOI | Link Google Scholar

Varjas, K., Meyers, J., Kiperman, S., & Howard, A. (2013). Technology hurts? Lesbian, gay, and bisexual youth perspectives of technology and cyberbullying. Journal of School Violence, 12(1), 27-44. https://doi.org/10.1080/15388220.2012.731665

Link DOI | Link Google Scholar

Vissenberg, J., & d’Haenens, L. (2020). Protecting youths’ wellbeing online: Studying the associations between opportunities, risks, and resilience. Media and Communication, 8(2), 175-184. https://doi.org/10.17645/mac.v8i2.2774

Link DOI | Link Google Scholar

Fundref

The research reported here is part of the project Youth Skills (ySKILLS) and received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 Research & Innovation Programme under Grant Agreement no. 870612.

Crossmark

Technical information

Received: 02-06-2022

Revised: 25-07-2022

Accepted: 29-11-2022

OnlineFirst: 30-01-2023

Publication date: 01-04-2023

Article revision time: 53 days | Average time revision issue 75: 32 days

Article acceptance time: 180 days | Average time of acceptance issue 75: 93 days

Preprint editing time: 258 days | Average editing time preprint issue 75: 171 days

Article editing time: 303 days | Average editing time issue 75: 216 days

Metrics

Metrics of this article

Views: 49925

Abstract readings: 48774

PDF downloads: 1151

Full metrics of Comunicar 75

Views: 584874

Abstract readings: 567904

PDF downloads: 16970

Cited by