Forget the stereotypes you may have about computer nerds.
According to a study from the Pew Internet & American Life Project, teen girls are the primary creators of Internet content, including blogs, graphics, photographs and Web sites.
Pew studied 12-to-17-year-olds and found a widening gender gap in blogging. While the number of teenage bloggers nearly doubled from 2004 to 2006, the growth was mostly due to increased activity by girls. More than one-third of girls and 20% of boys blogged.
Girls also eclipsed boys in Web page creation, 32% compared to 22%.
In social networking 70% of girls ages 15 to 17 had social networking site profiles, in contrast to 57% of boys.
Boys outperformed girls only in video posting, in which they were twice as likely as girls to post.
Researchers at the Berkman Center for Internet & Society, at the Harvard Law School, suggested different motives behind girls' and boys' online creations.
Self-expression appeared to drive the girls, while videos posted by boys tend to be less about self-expression and more about impressing others.
"It's an ideal way for members of a subculture—skateboarders, snowboarders—to demonstrate their athleticism," said John Palfrey of the Berkman Center.
As the barriers to creation are lifted, it is interesting to see the different ways that Social Media is encouraging people to express themselves, and to connect with others.
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