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Mothers with attitude pp

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Sarah Pedersen
Sarah Pedersen

The document discusses research on the popular UK parenting website Mumsnet. It finds that Mumsnet provides mothers with entertainment, advice, support and a sense of community. While criticism is allowed, flaming or aggressive comments are not tolerated. Popular topics of discussion include child behavior, education, and relationships. The site attracts mostly older, educated mothers and is seen as influential.

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Mothers with attitude: support, advice and entertainment on a UK online parenting community Dr Sarah Pedersen and Dr Janet Smithson
Parents online • Searching for advice and support • Isolated from traditional sources • New generation comfortable with using the Internet • Increase in pre-natal screening technology
Growing body of research • Can empower new mothers • Validation for the normality of their experiences • Can cross the digital divide • But offering stereotypes of unequal gender roles
Mumsnet • Established 2000 • ‘To make parents' lives easier by pooling knowledge and experience’ • ‘A virtual shoulder to lean on’ (The Observer) • ‘The daddy’ of all parenting sites (The Times) • Perceived to be influential with middle-class UK mothers
Methodology • Discourse analysis of postings on the discussion boards • Online survey of Mumsnetters • 2009 Census of Mumsnetters
Why access online communities? • A successful online community must be able to offer different satisfactions to different users • Wang, Yu and Fesenmaier (2002) – Functional, social, psychological and hedonic needs • Ridings and Gefen (2004) – Information exchange • Fleischmann (2004) – Anonymous but empathetic listeners
Previous research on parenting communities • Support and advice • Have own experiences validated • Supplement professional information
The satisfactions of Mumsnet Possible satisfaction Number of Percentage of all respondents (n = 391) respondents Entertainment 354 91 Advice 336 86 Support 249 64 Company 211 54 Validation of your 181 46 opinions Other 49 13
Popular topics Topic Number of Percentage respondents (n = 391) Chat 199 51 Am I Being 154 39 Unreasonable? Behaviour and 50 13 development Relationships 49 12.5 Education 49 12.5 Style and beauty 47 12 Breast and bottle- 45 11.5 feeding Parenting 45 11.5
Older, more experienced mothers • Three-quarters of respondents aged between 31 and 50 • Mostly with more than one child • Limited number of small babies • Most parenting websites aimed at pregnancy and babies • Only 21% SAHM • High number of working mothers – higher level of income and educational achievement
Entertainment on Mumsnet • Witty and educated ‘A bit like the student • Enjoyment of entertaining common room at the LSE trolls with a creche and an • Weekly round-up allotment attached perhaps? • Haiku / pastiche I love the opinionated, forceful, bloody brilliantness of MN’
Feminism on Mumsnet • Mumsnet campaigns • Outdoor Advertising Campaign: ‘Career Women Make Bad Mothers’ (Campbell Lace Beta) We have been asked the question: has the "Mumsnet incident" done lasting damage to Beta? It's hard to say. We were kicked off a pitchlist last week as a result of Mumsnet's protests. And it is scary to have a group of people e-mailing your clients demanding they fire you.
‘Nest of vipers’ • Textspeak is more frowned upon than swear-words • Witty posts are applauded even if they take the thread off-topic A lot of the regular posters are very confident in what they write. I feel that if I post something that they don’t agree with, then I may be publicly ridiculed.
Flaming • Preece (2001): communities in which social support is important: very low tolerance for aggressive, critical or harsh comments • Debating communities: higher toleration for argumentation and home truths You're right, it's not fluffy here. There are lots of women here who are very strong minded and some of them are very, very clever and a bit scary in some ways. I could say that you should scurry away to Netmums if you find MN all a bit much. BUT what you get here is the benefit of all those strong minded and very, very clever women when you have a real problem
Is Mumsnet different? • Mumsnetters like to perceive themselves as being different • Tough love • Swear and flame • Wider demographic in some ways • More limited in others • The ‘daddy’ of all parenting sites

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Mothers with attitude pp

  • 1. Mothers with attitude: support, advice and entertainment on a UK online parenting community Dr Sarah Pedersen and Dr Janet Smithson
  • 2. Parents online • Searching for advice and support • Isolated from traditional sources • New generation comfortable with using the Internet • Increase in pre-natal screening technology
  • 3. Growing body of research • Can empower new mothers • Validation for the normality of their experiences • Can cross the digital divide • But offering stereotypes of unequal gender roles
  • 4. Mumsnet • Established 2000 • ‘To make parents' lives easier by pooling knowledge and experience’ • ‘A virtual shoulder to lean on’ (The Observer) • ‘The daddy’ of all parenting sites (The Times) • Perceived to be influential with middle-class UK mothers
  • 5. Methodology • Discourse analysis of postings on the discussion boards • Online survey of Mumsnetters • 2009 Census of Mumsnetters
  • 6. Why access online communities? • A successful online community must be able to offer different satisfactions to different users • Wang, Yu and Fesenmaier (2002) – Functional, social, psychological and hedonic needs • Ridings and Gefen (2004) – Information exchange • Fleischmann (2004) – Anonymous but empathetic listeners
  • 7. Previous research on parenting communities • Support and advice • Have own experiences validated • Supplement professional information
  • 8. The satisfactions of Mumsnet Possible satisfaction Number of Percentage of all respondents (n = 391) respondents Entertainment 354 91 Advice 336 86 Support 249 64 Company 211 54 Validation of your 181 46 opinions Other 49 13
  • 9. Popular topics Topic Number of Percentage respondents (n = 391) Chat 199 51 Am I Being 154 39 Unreasonable? Behaviour and 50 13 development Relationships 49 12.5 Education 49 12.5 Style and beauty 47 12 Breast and bottle- 45 11.5 feeding Parenting 45 11.5
  • 10. Older, more experienced mothers • Three-quarters of respondents aged between 31 and 50 • Mostly with more than one child • Limited number of small babies • Most parenting websites aimed at pregnancy and babies • Only 21% SAHM • High number of working mothers – higher level of income and educational achievement
  • 11. Entertainment on Mumsnet • Witty and educated ‘A bit like the student • Enjoyment of entertaining common room at the LSE trolls with a creche and an • Weekly round-up allotment attached perhaps? • Haiku / pastiche I love the opinionated, forceful, bloody brilliantness of MN’
  • 12. Feminism on Mumsnet • Mumsnet campaigns • Outdoor Advertising Campaign: ‘Career Women Make Bad Mothers’ (Campbell Lace Beta) We have been asked the question: has the "Mumsnet incident" done lasting damage to Beta? It's hard to say. We were kicked off a pitchlist last week as a result of Mumsnet's protests. And it is scary to have a group of people e-mailing your clients demanding they fire you.
  • 13. ‘Nest of vipers’ • Textspeak is more frowned upon than swear-words • Witty posts are applauded even if they take the thread off-topic A lot of the regular posters are very confident in what they write. I feel that if I post something that they don’t agree with, then I may be publicly ridiculed.
  • 14. Flaming • Preece (2001): communities in which social support is important: very low tolerance for aggressive, critical or harsh comments • Debating communities: higher toleration for argumentation and home truths You're right, it's not fluffy here. There are lots of women here who are very strong minded and some of them are very, very clever and a bit scary in some ways. I could say that you should scurry away to Netmums if you find MN all a bit much. BUT what you get here is the benefit of all those strong minded and very, very clever women when you have a real problem
  • 15. Is Mumsnet different? • Mumsnetters like to perceive themselves as being different • Tough love • Swear and flame • Wider demographic in some ways • More limited in others • The ‘daddy’ of all parenting sites