Feminist scholars have critically examined the impact of 'new media' (internet, social media, digital technologies) on gender relations, often arguing that despite its potential for democratization and reconfiguring power structures, it frequently reinforces existing masculine biases and structural hierarchies. This perspective challenges the utopian view that new media inherently creates a level playing field.

Arguments for New Media being Masculine and Reinforcing Hierarchies:

1. Historical and Structural Bias in Tech Development: The technology industry itself has historically been dominated by men, from engineers and developers to venture capitalists and executives. This 'bro culture' can lead to technologies, algorithms, and platforms being designed with implicit masculine biases, reflecting male perspectives and priorities. For instance, AI algorithms trained on biased datasets can perpetuate gender stereotypes.
2. Content and Representation: While new media offers diverse content, mainstream platforms often amplify traditional gender roles and stereotypes. The prevalence of pornography, objectification of women, and the 'male gaze' in digital content are frequently cited examples. Even in gaming, female characters are often hyper-sexualized or relegated to secondary roles.
3. Online Harassment and Misogyny: Women, particularly those who are vocal or visible online, disproportionately experience online harassment, cyberbullying, doxing, and threats of violence. This creates a hostile environment that can silence women's voices and push them out of digital spaces, thereby reinforcing patriarchal control over public discourse.
4. Digital Divide and Access: While access to new media has expanded, significant digital divides persist along gender, class, race, and geographical lines. Women in many parts of the world have less access to technology, lower digital literacy, and face cultural barriers to online participation, which exacerbates existing inequalities rather than bridging them.
5. Algorithmic Bias and Surveillance: Algorithms, often developed by predominantly male teams, can embed and amplify existing societal biases. For example, facial recognition software may be less accurate for women or people of color, and targeted advertising can reinforce gendered consumer roles. Surveillance technologies can also disproportionately impact women, particularly in contexts of domestic violence or state control.
6. Economic Exploitation: The gig economy, facilitated by new media platforms, often relies on precarious labour, with women frequently concentrated in low-paid, flexible, and unprotected roles (e.g., content moderation, data entry, care work), mirroring and intensifying existing gendered labour inequalities.

Nuance and Counterarguments: While these critiques are powerful, it's important to acknowledge that new media also offers avenues for feminist activism, community building, and challenging hierarchies. Social media has been instrumental in movements like #MeToo, providing platforms for marginalized voices, fostering solidarity, and disseminating alternative narratives. Women entrepreneurs and content creators have found new opportunities. However, feminist scholars often argue that these progressive uses occur despite the underlying masculine structures, and the potential for liberation is often constrained or co-opted by the dominant patriarchal frameworks of the digital world. The challenge remains to actively reconfigure these technologies and platforms to genuinely promote equality and dismantle, rather than reinforce, structural hierarchies.