Men Online: Discussing Lived Experiences on the Internet

Australia

http://home.iprimus.com.au/carolineyoung/

This thesis examines the complexities of the masculine identity within contemporary society, as it pertains to the individual men who took part in this study. Data were wholly generated via electronic means of communication over a seven-month period of intensive online interaction, as a means of investigating the use of this environment in the generation of intimate data. Six men, ranging in age from 21 to 72, contributed extensive and in-depth data, upon which I have based this study. It is a research project that utilises Van Manen's conceptualisation of hermeneutic- phenomenology as its method of inquiry, and Seidman's process of phenomenological interviewing as a means of generating actual data. Results indicate the significance and importance of life experiences in the formation of the masculine identities of the six participants. In particular, that familial interactions and experiences often formed the basis of these particular individuals male identities, and consequent societal relations. That these individual 'identities' were capable of sustaining change, with each person being aware of it's formation and development, and meaning outcomes in later life. Moreover, results indicate that this form of interaction can potentially provide new avenues within which men can discuss their emotions and feelings, openly, and with confidence. This thesis asks how lived experiences have contributed to the formation and development of these particular men's masculine identities, and how they react to the utilisation of the electronic environment as a means of conveying these experiences. James Cook University School of Psychology and Sociology Townsville, North Queensland, 4811 AUSTRALIA

Bennett (Young) - Caroline. M.

1998