Picture courtesy of evilcorgi.deviantart.com

Think about somebody you know who knows more about computers and the internet than you do, or just picture some one in your mind. Question: is that somebody a guy or a gal? I need not research to assume that what comes up will most likely be a guy. I think a similar argument goes for the gaming community.

I have no knowledge of any actual statistics, but wouldn't you agree with me if I say that the computer community is somewhat male dominated? Think about all the people you know, the IT person of your office, the geeks in your class, the TV shows we watch, isn't this assumption consistent? Yes? I thought so.

So why is that? How has this come to be? Before we try tackling this question, lets try to describe a so-called techie:

1. Able to diagnose a computer problem and likely knows (or knows how to find out) how to fix it.

2. Surfs the internet as pastime, but not centrally on online social networks.

3. Knows how to shop for computers, and willing to compromise hardware design for functionality.

4. Is better at searching the internet than the average joe.

5. Self-teaches certain programming/webdesign knowhow, or at least able and willing to.

6. Anymore?

So basically techies, in a nutshell, are better at computer and internet usage than the rest of the world; in other words, technology-savvy, am I right? Now lets try to list the general differences between girls and guys, focusing on those in their 20s, in relation to the world of computers. These are what I can come up with:

1. Desire between style and function (design vs. usefulness)

2. Level of curiosity of non-people-related things

3. Analytical logical thinking, with an added bonus of arithmetic

4. Level or method of social interaction

5. External influences, plus social norms

Did I seem sexist right up there? I really hope not, it's not my intention to. With these premises, I think we can start drawing rough conclusions, but as you might have noticed, I dare not make statements out of my own experiences, thoughts, or knowledge in this topic. Some real research is called for. But if you ponder over the five loose premises above, you might have an idea.

The next question is: is this a problem? Is it a bad thing that techies are mostly dudes? Do I hear anyone complaining? Drop me an email and tell me what you think.