Effects of gender and tie strength on Twitter interactions

Authors

  • Funda Kivran-Swaine Rutgers University
  • Samuel Brody Google
  • Mor Naaman Cornell NYC Tech

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.5210/fm.v18i9.4633

Keywords:

Social Media, Language, Online social networks

Abstract

We examine the connection between language, gender, and social relationships, as manifested through communication patterns in social media. Building on an analysis of 78,000 Twitter messages exchanged between 1,753 gender-coded couples, we quantitatively study how the gender composition of conversing users influences the linguistic style apparent in the messages. Using Twitter data, we also model and control for the strength of ties between conversing users. Our findings show that, in line with existing theories, women use more intensifier adverbs, pronouns, and emoticons, especially when communicating with other women. Our results extend the understanding of gender-driven language use in the semi-public settings of social media services, and suggest implications for theory and insights for sociolinguistics.

Author Biographies

Funda Kivran-Swaine, Rutgers University

PhD Candidate at Rutgers University, School of Communciation & Information

Mor Naaman, Cornell NYC Tech

Associate Professor at the Jacobs Technion-Cornell Innovation Institute at Cornell NYC Tech

Downloads

Published

2013-08-28

How to Cite

Kivran-Swaine, F., Brody, S., & Naaman, M. (2013). Effects of gender and tie strength on Twitter interactions. First Monday, 18(9). https://doi.org/10.5210/fm.v18i9.4633