Are interpersonal communication gaps between men and women alleviated by computer mediated communication

Social media has changed the scope and scale by which we relate to others in our daily lives. Facebook groups are a common social media tool used by men and women to connect through computer-mediated communication (CMC). This study assessed the effectiveness of CMC in reducing male-female interpersonal communication gaps. According to the Tannen's (2002) Genderlect theory, male and female communication differs in its reasons, style and language. Nineteen Facebook posts with a combined 659 comments within a closed Facebook group were reviewed using textual and content analysis to determine male and female communication style and language. Twenty-seven male and female volunteers from the group were surveyed to determine male and female communication reasons. Research indicates Genderlect theory can be applied to Facebook groups through distinct patterns of male and female communication in each group's respective choices in language, style, and reasons for communicating. Despite CMC adaptations to address the lack of facial cues in face-to-face interaction, these adaptations did not completely reduce differences in male-female discourse within Facebook groups.