A Netnography Exploring the Relationship Between Blogging and Higher Education for Female Undergraduates

• In Event: Gender Narratives and Institutional Contexts

Abstract

This netnography sought to understand the relationship between blogging and higher education, specifically asking if blogging enriches academic experiences and empowers undergraduate female students in the United States. Through semi-structured interviews, blog content and blog observations, I explored female bloggers’ experiences as bloggers and participants in higher education. Using a qualitative approach to data analysis, the data indicated that for study participants there was a positive relationship between blogging and perceptions of academic performance and participation in higher education. In addition, blogging was empowering because it was an inherently empowering act and because it provided an opportunity for women to have a voice in the classroom.

Author

• Laura Parson, University of North Dakota