1.Introduction

In recent years, the Internet has revolutionized all aspects of society, including communication, information sharing, and social interaction. It offers individuals a tremendous opportunity to connect with others across the globe. While people enjoy the convenience of the Internet and realize “network neighbors,” cognitive conflicts and regional cultural differences lead to frequent Internet disputes, and gender confrontation is one of the prominent manifestations [1-4]. Social media has served as an essential tool and venue for women to share their experiences with sexual harassment, domestic violence, and gender discrimination in the labor market [5, 6].

With the rise of social media and the sinking of the right to express online discourse, the reversal news of confusing truth and turning again and again has become the norm, and the gender antagonism phenomenon is a major driving force for the formation and fermentation of reverse news, adding many irrational factors to the Internet public opinion field [7, 8].

First, the anonymity of the Internet is one of the main reasons gender antagonisms are amplified. In the online world, people can hide their true identities behind a virtual screen. In this way, they will feel freer to express their opinions and emotions without restrictions. However, it also means that it is easier for people to ignore the feelings and respect of others. When gender is obscured, people tend to behave more extreme and radical, thus exacerbating the confrontation between genders [9, 10].

Second, the presence of social media also exacerbates the amplification of gender antagonisms. Social media allows people to follow and engage with various gender-related topics and share their opinions with others. However, due to information overload and insufficient information filtering, people often only see voices with the same views as themselves, forming the so-called “small circle of opinions,” further deepening the degree of confrontation. People tend to connect with people in the same camp, form “camp opposites,” and are no longer willing to listen to other voices and respect different points of view.

In addition, advertising and media on the Internet have also played a role. Many businesses and media platforms emphasize gender differences when promoting products or gaining attention and attracting attention by exaggerating words and stereotypes. Such behavior not only further deepens gender antagonism but also instills irrational and one-sided gender concepts in people, leading to more misunderstandings and prejudices.

To sum up, the antagonism of gender as a social phenomenon is not new. It is influenced by cultural differences, biological differences, social system progress, technological progress, capital intervention, and the rise of new media industries, all contributing to gender antagonisms. Essentially, this is due to an unfair and inadequate allocation of resources. Especially behind the gender antagonism of the Internet, there are hidden social dangers. People take advantage of the virtual nature of the Internet to turn the online environment into a “shooting range” for attacking each other and venting their grievances.

This paper focuses on the communication role of social media in gender antagonism and the differences in the way and degree relative to society. By discussing the phenomenon of gender antagonism in reverse journalism, this paper analyzes how gender prejudice and same-sex identity are constantly amplified under the empowerment of Internet technology, including rhetorical discourse expression of the parties, the setting of the media’s attribute agenda, and the Balkanization of the Internet field, enveloping the opinions of netizens to shape public opinion, resulting in the separation of views in the public opinion field, making the truth a “nobody” thing and aggravating the news reversal.

2.Questionnaires

This survey uses two types of questionnaires to ensure the comprehensiveness of the experimental survey on different occasions (Table 1 and Table 2). As data collection needs to be more credible and transparent, the questionnaire explores the impact of age factors by examining different age conditions. In addition, different occupations will have a corresponding impact. For the Internet community, different social platforms will bring more intuitive data. The survey was divided into experimental and control groups. Data from the experimental group will be collected from users of several popular social media platforms. At the same time, another set of questionnaires will be distributed in real life to collect data on the opinions of different individuals on the issue. Finally, the two data sets are analyzed and compared to conclude. To ensure the objectivity and reliability of the data, this paper collects the data of 50 men and 50 women on the Internet, as well as the data of 50 men and 50 women in real life, for comparative analysis.

Table 1: Internet questionnaires.

4.Experimental Results and Analysis

4.1.Data Analysis in the Internet and Society

Figure 1: Perception of gender opposition between men and women in the Internet.

Figure 2: Perception of gender opposition between men and women in society.

Table 2: Social Questionnaires.

The comparison of the data in Figure 1 and Figure 2 shows that the contradiction about gender antagonism on the Internet is more severe than in society. This shows that the Internet is becoming increasingly sensitive to the issue of gender conflict. This phenomenon is because individuals can use anonymous accounts to communicate on the Internet, which may encourage some people to express their sexist views more openly without fear of being recognized. Lack of nonverbal cues: As shown in Figure 1, about the “belief that gender should influence work and social roles,” this paper argues that in real life, nonverbal cues such as body language, tone, and appearance influence people’s gender views and behaviors. However, on the Internet, the absence of these clues makes the gender factor more evident in speech.

4.2.Data Analysis in Different Plateforms

Figure 3: Data used by different user platforms.

TikTok is a social platform that has emerged recently, focusing on short videos, and attracting many young users (Figure 3). It is characterized by straightforward and diverse video content covering all aspects of life, entertainment, and food. It can be seen as a highly liberalized content creation platform. As can be seen from the data, both men and women use TikTok more frequently than other platforms, which also has an impact on gender antagonism.

As for Xiaohongshu (RED) and Tieba, social platforms with many users and high anonymity face specific gender confrontation problems. Xiaohongshu is a well-known Chinese social platform similar to Pinterest and Instagram, focusing more on user-generated content and shopping experiences. Primarily aimed at young women, the platform offers them a highly personalized social experience by sharing shopping experiences, beauty tips, travel stories, and other topics. As can be seen from the data, female users are very active on Xiaohongshu. Among Xiaohongshu’s many users, there is a phenomenon that some users produce content related to “femininity.” The sexual depictions and commoditization tendencies of the female body can easily cause discomfort and questioning. In addition, discriminatory comments based on masculine and feminine characteristics can cause psychological harm to users. This phenomenon exacerbates gender conflicts.

Baidu Tieba is a well-known social platform that provides users with tools to connect to the Internet and allows the public to express themselves. On this platform, each topic gathers its fan base, and each post contains a different point of view and emotion. The concept of objectivity comes into play, emphasizing rational objectivity and reminding people that in this age of emphasis on words, people need to approach the world carefully and independently. In Baidu Tieba, there are many misleading posts and comments, often collecting irresponsible statements and ignoring facts and evidence, leading to confusion and misunderstanding. The concept of objectivity emphasizes evidence and facts, encouraging people to use data and logic to analyze and evaluate information rather than relying on personal emotions and biases. However, Baidu Tieba also contains some posts and replies with solicitative and vulgar content, which harms female users and teenagers. At the same time, malicious attacks, harassment, and insults against women occur from time to time, bringing trouble and harm to female users. As a result, it becomes an urgent gender antagonism, pushing the issue of gender antagonism into the spotlight.

5.Conclusions

On the Internet, some people may show gender antagonism between men and women, but this is mainly due to social factors such as stereotypes and sexism. Not everyone holds this view, and many are actively opposing and changing this phenomenon. Research shows that gender discrimination impacts women’s participation in online discussions, voice of opinions, and even their safety. At the same time, male supremacy, online harassment, and stigma in some online communities have exacerbated gender polarization. However, on the other hand, more and more people use the Internet as a platform to advocate gender equality and oppose gender discrimination. Many online communities, such as various gender equality forums, are working to create a more open, inclusive, and friendly online environment. The conclusion is that gender antagonism between men and women on the Internet is not inevitable but a combination of factors such as gender norms and the online environment.