Most guys I know are obsessed with technology. The fascination does not stem from purely a habit of acquiring new things, for that is a trait of both the sexes, but from a predictability and understanding of the object. Such is my observation alone, not one based on scientific fact. Maybe it's a mathematical induction, but that all goes along with reason.
A digitally inclined guy I know told me that he's obsessed with electronics because they are easier to handle and to interact with than females. Perhaps he was just making me feel better about my own technophobia. Or perhaps he was really speaking of the truth behind the rather uncomplicated male psyche. Whatever it was, his comment that led to me think there has to be something in the y-chromosome that speaks to a genotypic affinity to gadgets.
I remember when my brother got paid from his first "job" in fifth grade shoveling snow for our neighbors. My father took him to Radio Shack to celebrate, and two hours later both of them returned home with about $200 worth of electronic nonsense. A new cordless phone, a Ninja-Turtles video game, diskettes, and best of all, a video tape rewinder. I was 9 at the time, and remember thinking, wow, I'm sure that our current video tape player definitely had rewinding capabilities.
Maybe this has a historical explanation. Cavemen also tried to work with the best tools, for the man who had the best tools also had the most immaculate cave, and furniture. Furthermore, the caveman with the best tools could also hunt more efficiently, gather crops and be better protected from outside enemies.
Even during the two world wars, it was the men behind the new technology to obliterate the opposing man-lead army. Maybe the acquisition of new technology speaks to an inordinate sense of who's better than who. Who has the cooler lighter, smaller, faster technology than the other guy.
What about the female chromosomes? Why does its gene expression seem to convey different digital urges - a distaste for constant digital upgrades but a clear interest in communication and entertainment technologies? Female CEOs are behind such industries such as Ebay and other entertainment/vending Web sites.
Perhaps the survival advantage for females lies in communication and entertainment. We would rather use diplomatic symbols, the image of others to convey our sense of superiority. Females are social beings. Even history proves this. Evidence of matriarchal societies found by anthropologists in ancient African and Asian ruins, suggest a era of peace and pacifism. Go figure.
So how does modern day industry play into this stereotype? After browsing the Internet for about half an hour, I came to the conclusion that most cell-phone, movie, and clothing Web sites advertised women with their products, and most computer and nonsense gadget sites advertised males. Even capitalists know how to manipulate genetic urges and obsessions.
Of course, it could just be that boys like to show off with tools and girls do the same with shoes. Either way it's the primordial urge to show off and prove one's superiority.
So in the evolutionary battle for survival, who can say whether Kate Spade or PlayStation 2 has the upper hand?
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