Introduction
     Feminist and scholar, Virginia Woolf argued that a woman belonged not to her country, but to the entire world. Woolf's statement becomes even more powerful today, because of the internet. The world of feminist thought is more accessible for many women via the Internet. Studying feminist communication through the Internet provides more information, ideas, and global connection for women. The depth and content of feminist thought that is available via the Internet is as vast as the world wide web. Knowing that there are so many avenues available to find information concerning women and feminists, I hope to explore the advances that have taken place in feminist communication due to the rapid growth of computer mediated communication.
     According to Amelia DeLoach,  " in 1992, women's sites on the Internet accounted for approximately five percent of all sites. By 1996, that number had risen to 34 percent..." (CMC Magazine, 1997, March). This gain in a relatively short time reflects the growth and availability of  finding women's issues on the Internet. Although women's sites are now more prevalent on the Internet, Deloach argues that "because women make up a minority of the Internet's users and Web developers, finding sites that are for women and not about women can lead to some offensive discoveries..." (CMC Magazine, 1997, March). Deloach states that  many women's sites developed coded names to distinguish between sites where it was assumed that the women were -naked and ready to have a sexy chat  versus sites that were geared towards more expansive thought about women's issues.
     Some of the code names that developed to deter the sexy chat-only browsers were: Geek, Nerd, and Girl. Because these names have a negative association, they became code for  feminists on the Internet who used them to "...subvert belief systems about women..."
(DeLoach). These sites express feminist views in many different forums while having fun with challenging traditional language.
     In this research, I'll look at three popular forums for feminist communication: Discussion groups, Scholarly articles and Web maga "zines". Each forum has a unique style and appeal in the way in which it sends messages. I'll analyze the strengths and weaknesses within each forum  to discover how it delivers feminist theory.
 
                                          Review of the Literature  
"zines"
     The popularity of magazines has made its way into the Internet. "Zines" can be found on feminist topics ranging from the radical in-your-face style of  Rant to the political-artistic  confrontation of the  Guerilla Girls .  Feminist web or e- "zines" vary in content and style, but use the medium of the magazine format to create a casual atmosphere. Although this medium typically presents ideas and issues in a condensed form, the feminist "zines" are powerful in the theories they present. The appeal of using "zines" to showcase feminist thought is that the medium is usually accessible and unthreatening.
     Reviewing the popular "zine" Geekgirl  shows an example of how the "zine" uses multiple formats. Within one issue there were articles, artwork, comic strips and reviews featuring different feminist ideas and thought. What is striking is the artwork which is catchy and creative. The monthly "zine" chooses a topic of focus for each issue and the articles and artwork deal with some aspect of the particular topic. Looking at an issue dealing with crime, there was a comic strip called Gloria a student at  Patriarchy High .  Although this comic isn't directly associated with crime, the content indirectly speaks to the mistreatment of women who don't follow the traditional path of dating and marriage. It might be suggested that Geekgirl associates the pressure society puts on women to follow traditional paths; to be a criminal act. The comic successfully addresses the feminist viewpoint that women don't need to be in a relationship to be acceptable or fulfilled. The comic shows Gloria, a student at Patriarchy High, being lectured in the classroom by the "couple control council" on how to successfully find a date. The comic then shows Gloria questioning her desire to find a man. The comic uses humor to look at the cultural stereotype that affects many women's sense of self worth. The strength of using a medium that combines text and pictures to convey a feminist theory is valuable in attracting people who are more comfortable reading the "zine" format, rather than the less flashy scholarly articles. The comic strip takes a serious subject and satirizes it. This can be an effective way to reach people.
     Reaching people is what the phenomenon of the Internet and computers are all about. While researching to find what's prevalent on the Internet, I was at first, put off by the amount of light- weight material that seemed to be geared for similarly to television in appealing to the lowest common denominator. As I continued to search I found many examples of interesting and complex ideas that were presented in a visually catchy way. The addition of fun visual didn't detract from the content, and that is why I choose to argue for the value that "zines" and comics
contribute to extending feminist thought via the Internet.
     Geekgirl also has articles from contributing authors which are presented in a more traditional format of mostly text.  Sexual abuse is the topic of one article from a back issue dealing with the topic of control. Samantha Lee's article "My Body is a Temple, which many People have Sat In" has a humorous title, but the subtitle reads Sex after sexual abuse. The subtitle makes the Body as temple and people sitting there less humorous, and particularly disturbing. The catchy titles are what draw a casual browser to them, and then the hard hitting material is right behind when you get drawn in.
     Lee's article educates readers into understanding what some of the difficulties  people can have after they have been sexually abused. Lee discusses the role control has in sexual abuse. Looking at how the abuser uses power to control the victim, and also looking at the victims loss of control when they are abused. Lee argues that society is to blame for how victims are looked down upon because society encourages the misuse of power. Without naming men or women, Lee's article judges societies priorities and who benefits from those priorities. Although "Sex after Sexual Abuse" is a short article, it's argument is strong, and it conveys feminist thought in a straightforward way. The "zine" successfully mixes feminist communication in stories and pictures.
     Lee's article is an example of the accessibility of feminist communication. Sexual Abuse is a concern to everyone, but feminists are encouraging people to speak out about these topics that until recently were too private to talk about. Now, with growing numbers of women using computers and the Internet, and with feminist theories so readily available, a question arises about how might this availability to find feminist communication via the Internet effect women?
     In another e-"zine"  Brillo, an article located in the "Rant" section, talked about feminism and the common belief that feminists hate men. The editor argued that "There is a difference between attacking an oppressive system of power and attacking a person. I can say quite easily that I hate patriarchy. But do I hate men? Hell, no".  The editor is suggesting here that all too often women with strong viewpoints or radically non-traditional arguments are seen as manhaters. This is the kind of myth that these different e-"zines" are trying to dispel. The editor of Brillo goes on to suggest that women who laugh at jokes told about feminists being man-haters add more ammunition to the continuation of the myth. This rant argues for the need stop attacking other people and to listen and communicate.
     The various "zines" are working in bringing awareness to many important feminist issues.
A few more feminist "zines" to check out:   Feminista      Looking for it
                                                                     Nothing but Meat    Bust
 

Scholarly Articles 
      While there are plenty of "zines" and journals on the Internet concerning feminist communication, if academic writing on feminist issues is desired, there are just as many resources available. The difference is the accessibility. Scholarly sites are as prevalent as the more commercially geared sites, but finding them takes a little more work. Using one of the women web sites or search engines is a good start. Using the correct language in a search engine to find research versus informative literature, takes some practice. Once conquered research from Universities across the globe are available.
     At the University of British Columbia, some research concerning  Gender Technology  shows detailed analysis into the issue of women, communication, and computers. The authors of the study, "Learning to Make a Difference: Gender, New Technologies, and In/Equity"
are Mary Bryson and Suzanne DeCastell. Arguing for the difficulties surrounding the gender debate, Bryson and DeCastell write:

          If, for instance, it is held that technology is "always already" gendered, and that its
          gender is masculine (Rothschild, 1983; Benston, 1985), practical strategies for
          effecting "gender equity" will involve adjustments directed at a re-genderment of the
          relation of female students and technology: whether that be a resocialization of girls
          and  women (the modernist, positivist view) in terms of their attitudes towards that
          technology, a pluralist reorganization of pedagogy and curriculum for girls and women
          in accordance with "women's ways" (the constructivist paradigm), or repudiation of
          that technology as pre-gendered (and raced and classed) arid therefore inherently
          undermining goals of women's empowerment (the critical  account). Here each
          approach to technology and gender leaves the gender of technology intact, and
          operates in different ways on the regenderment of women.
 
     Analyzing the language used in Bryson and DeCastell's argument shows a feminist communication model. They argue from a feminist perspective how difficult it is to change the perception about females and technology. The authors address societies reluctance to accept female equality in the arena of technology and computers. This extensive study also argues for the need to analyze discourse in reference to gender equality. The authors find:
          beneath the terminological umbrella  are: (1) a positivistic conception of gender as
          equivalent with biological sex, (2) a constructivist conception of gender as socially
          produced and, (3) a critical theory of gender as the ideological product of a
          repressively   patriarchal hegemony, and (4) a postmodern conception of gender as a
          non-cohesive, open-textured pastiche of characteristics, aptitudes and dispositions
          whose ongoing construction and reconstruction it is a central task of feminist praxis to
          enable and encourage". These concepts show this research to be an excellent example
          of  feminist computer-mediated-communication.
 
     The disappointing part Bryson and DeCastell's study is their conclusion. They paint a dismal picture of women's progress in gender equality and technology. Some of their findings stated that many schools asked to participate in their project refused because they didn't want to join the "feminist bandwagon" that the project was producing. Other schools believed this project was too negative and didn't look at the progress already made. The authors state that the old "you've come a long way baby" statement used by such schools undermines the facts found in their research, that equality isn't happening.  Why is there a fear to see gender equality in technology?
      Another research project from Cornell University focused on ways for women to tackle
 Breaking the Glass Ceiling . This research is another example of important information in feminist communication presented in a scholarly form. This study is broken down into many different components produced by various researchers. One component to the research was organized by a group called  Catalyst . This organization is a nonprofit research and advisory group that helps women get better jobs as well as working with employers to better utilize their women employees. The research conducted by Catalyst for Breaking the glass ceiling involved a study that looked at the number of women that held a seat on the Board of Directors of Fortune 500 Companies. The study provides an interesting feminist perspective on where women stand in decision making in the financial part of society.
   Gender and CMC is a research paper from the University of Texas. The paper is titled "GENDER DIFFERENCES IN COMPUTER-MEDIATED COMMUNICATION:
BRINGING FAMILIAR BAGGAGE TO THE NEW FRONTIER" by Susan Herring.
The familiar baggage Herring refers to is the different styles that men and women use to communicate and their effectiveness. Herring is disturbed by men's communication that tends to dominate a conversation. Herring argues that women and men have recognizably different styles in communicating on the Internet contrary to the idea that CMC neutralizes the distinctions of gender.
     Herring states that " The male style is characterized by adversariality:  put-downs, strong, often contentions assertions, lengthy and/or frequent postings, self-promotion, and sarcasm. The female-gendered style, in contrast, has two aspects which typically co-occur: supportiveness and attenuation".  Herring argues that although these are the typical stereotypes given to describe male and female styles of conversation, the research confirms the argument that these styles do exist.. Her research examined various discussion groups, and within the examples given of sample conversations, the evidence is powerful. This study on gender is another example of the depth of feminist based research being done at Universities, and then made available to users on the Internet.
     Herring argues against the notion that "CMC is anonymous" and gender-blind. This agrees with feminist-based CMC which developed codes to try and discourage the adversarial and sexist forms of conversation taking place in discussion groups. Herrings research is extensive, and her conclusions show the need for women to work harder to gain equality. Herring argues in the summary:
          that women and men constitute different discourse communities in cyberspace from
          different cultures, if you will -- with differing communicative norms and practices.  These
          cultures are not however "separate but equal"; rather, the norms and practices of
          masculine net culture, codified in netiquette rules, conflict with those of the female culture
          in ways that render cyberspace -- or at least many "neighborhoods" in cyberspace --
          inhospitable to women.
 
    What Herring is suggesting here is a common thread in feminist literature. The idea of separate but equal is argued in relation to many forms of discrimination and many feminists argue that much of the world whether global, cyber, or neighborhood are still inhospitable to women. Herring's research was done in 1994, and due to the fast changing advances and growing number of women using the Internet, one hopes that in today's cyberspace, four years later, is a bit more hospitable to women. Other interesting research projects:
   On-Line Feminism                            Violence to Women
 Pornography and computers            Gender Communication

Discussion Groups 
      The third form of feminist computer-mediated- communication to be examined are discussion groups. The popularity of Internet discussion groups is growing and growing. Discussion groups and Chat rooms provide another forum for computer-mediated- communication. These informal and sometimes immediate ways of communicating are gaining in sites available specifically for feminists. Similarly to the "zines", there is a difference between discussion groups geared primarily for women instead of about women. Again that difference shows itself in who talks to the groups and what kinds of discussions take place. Feminist talk isn't restricted to women only, it is the content that provides the difference. In the WWWomen Directory, a group called  Domestic Violence Discussion Group was just one heading under the general topic of "Relationships" . The domestic violence group had some varied topics and discussions. The first topic that caught my attention was Re: Why men think feminist means gay. There were four different responses to the initial lister. Also under the domestic violence heading were two responses Re: Remembering Dec. 6th, which was when 14 women were killed in Montreal by a man who hated feminists. The other topic in this group was Re: Conditions for Violence what had several postings. All of the discussions were thoughtful and not filled with flaming or aggressive attacks. The discussion in the "why men think feminist means gay" is classic feminist theory about strong women can be threatening to some men. The dialogue in the discussion group is obviously from a feminist perspective.
     Discussion groups can provide an outlet for communicating with others with similar interests. In the case of the domestic violence discussion, this forum could be a safe place to talk and get feedback. Another discussion group in the WWWomen directory under the category of women's work and careers was  Self employed women. This category seems like a valuable resource for sharing ideas with other women regarding self employment. This discussion group had a total of seventeen responses from different women within a month. The intimacy of conversation at this site was appealing as far as discussing an issue seriously. The smaller amount of people involved with WWWomen differs from the 25,000 people that belong to  Soc.Feminism . The statistics say that an average of 15 messages get posted per day, but this still out numbers the 17 messages per month that took place at the domestic violence site at  WWWomen forum.
     Soc.Feminism is one of the big discussion groups, which poses advantages as well as disadvantages. Being big-can help with anonymity. Being big can-generate a fuller discussion. Being big-can encourage flaming. With these considerations in mind, Soc.feminism is a decent site to talk to others. As far as a forum for feminist thought, the arena of the discussion group is well suited as it resembles what might take place at a social gathering. At a party, someone brings up the subject of feminism, and there will probably be many opinions and debates over what feminism means, its effects and its value. This is what happens in discussion groups on the Internet. A bunch of people, who have just met and are taking a role in one or more discussions. The following is a talk between two people in Soc.feminism:

Ovum wrote:
>
> I'd be interested in discussing gynophobia (gynophobia = "the fear of women").
>
> Do you think more men are afraid of women today than ever before?  Or less?

More, in my (ignorant) opinion. One of the ends of feminism is going to
be a few scared men. When male dominance and battery were more
popular and women were confined to less physical lifestyles it must have
been very rare to find a scared man.  Actually, if you are saying just
mentally, teenage boys always have and always will be scared of girls.
Honestly I would say I find (generally) a woman less intimidating than a
man. If I have to confront authority, I'd rather it be a woman. But that
is mostly concerned with my view of women's positive attributes (less
aggressive, understanding...). That said, I am dead scared of the female
bouncer at a local nightclub.

> In general, would you say more men fear women than women fear men?
> Is fear one reason behind the brutal subjugation of women throughout
> history?  And what is it about women that so frightens men?

I think women fear men and men fear women in different ways, as I have
already (clumsily) tried to say. I think, but cant speak for all men,
that male fear has sexual overtones (a cause of rape?) and women's (I
think) related mostly to physical attributes.
I think admittance of male fear of a woman is humiliating and overcoming
a fear of men for a woman is inherently encouraging for the brave.

Jim.
 
     Jim and Ovum's conversation represents a typical exchange that takes place in Soc. feminism. What an outsider doesn't know is if these two have ever talked to each other before, or if they will talk to each other again.
     A curious aspect of the discussion groups is the voyagerism involved in reading people's conversations. If for example, I had responded to either Jim or Ovum,  I'd be a part of the discussion instead of just observing it. In comparing Internet discussions and face to face discussions, the Internet appeals to many people because it's easier and safer. Many people feel free to say things when they don't have to confront a person who may speak back. Thetas part of the success of discussion groups, you can be bold, or mad, or opinionated without having to deal with how a person who was right there in front of you might respond to what you had just said. The voyageristic aspect is there because reading what people write to each other feels invasive. It is different then reading a story or research paper that is intended to be read without getting immediate feedback. This is my personal opinion on discussion groups, and obviously many people don't think the same way I do judging by the chat and discussion groups popularity.
     Other sites for feminist Internet talk:   Amazon City       Elekta Femmes     Wired Women

 Summary
     The three forums discussed; Zines, Scholarly Papers, and Discussion Groups all prove to be excellent sources for finding feminist communication on the Internet. Depending on the browsers preference, feminist thought can be found, discussed, or debated.
     There are strengths and weaknesses within each category. The "zines" strength is in their ability to catch the eye and hold the attention of the reader because of  shorter articles and artwork. The reader also has to take an active role by choosing sites within the site and clicking on various symbols and pictures. The disadvantage to the "zines" is that they condense important ideas so they can fit into the magazine-style (nothing too lengthy) form.
     The scholarly papers strength is from being thorough and detailed.  Papers can be found on the Internet that analyze subjects that help to understand or engage in feminist thought that wouldn't be studied in such depth at the more commercial sites. While information in scholarly papers are usually far more critical and detailed then other forums, scholarly papers are considered by some to be "too" academic. Many people choose to read the funnier stuff.
     Discussion groups have become so popular that they must be considered when examining computer-mediated-communication. They are seen by some as no more than high-tech telephones, but others say it is a valuable way to communicate and talk to a variety of people that  they would otherwise never have the chance to meet. What gets said in discussion and chat groups can vary from serious feminist thought, to typical chat- "what's your favorite drink?".  Just like all information available on the Internet, the person browsing must be discriminating to find what they want.
     Although much of the research presented in this paper discussed the minority status of women using the Internet, I was encouraged by the content available. As more and more women get hooked up there will be strong feminist thought for them to participate in. Feminist-computer- mediated-communication is growing and the popularity of feminist sites might be an indicator that feminism will remain a staple on the Internet.
 
 
                          Jessica Lockhart -  JLOCKH61@mail.caps.maine.edu

Bryson, Mary & DeCastell, Suzanne. "Learning to Make a Difference: Gender, New
     Technologies, and In/Equality". University of British Columbia.

Cortis, Janis.  "Rant of the Day"    http://www.io.com/~wwwomen/tmp/purpose.html

DeLoach, Amelia. "Grrrls Exude Attitude". CMC Magazine, 1996, March.

Guerilla Girls.    http://www.voyagerco.com/gg/

Herring, Susan. "Gender Differences in Computer Mediated Communication: Bringing Familiar
     Baggage to the New Frontier". University of Texas, 1994.

Lee, Samantha.  "My Body is a Temple, Which Many People have Sat In". GeekGirl,  #10.

Mayer, Petra. "Patriarchy High". GeekGirl,  #11.

Rosie X.  Geek Girl.   http://www.virago-net.com/brillo/rant.htm

Soc.Feminism.        http://tile.net/news/socfeminism.html

WWWomen Forums.    http://www.wwwomen.com/forums.shtml