Description:
Cyberculture has been more celebrated as establishing sites of possibilities than critiqued as a source of limitations for identity representation. Few researchers have explored through in situ interviews and their own online participation how electronic forums may actually prevent young women's representations of themselves in cyberspace. Hence, this inquiry was conducted to answer the question of how cyberculture might impede a young woman's ability to position herself socially in virtual communities. This query was addressed by a case study of a young woman as she navigated cybersites for identity representation in cybercommunities. Through interviews and examinations of the archives of popular cybersites, this article illustrates how sexists, misogynists and trolls marginalized females' participation in cyberculture through rhetorical strategies and graphic representations. Findings from this study provide insight into the kinds of social interactions in online spaces that may influence females' academic participation in both offline and online spaces, and offer implications for shifting gendered power relations.