Is social media helping younger women become more assertive about getting ahead in the workplace?  That’s the interesting argument that True/Slant’s Sara Libby makes in a recent post.

Responding to a recent blog post by NYU Professor Clay Shirky about how women are less willing than men to speak up about their professional achievements, rendering them less often rewarded and promoted, Libby writes:

… despite being an expert on social networks and technology, [Shirky's] assessment was curiously absent of any mentions of generational shifts brought on by social media – the ultimate realm of self-promotion. … It wasn’t until Shirky told of a female professor who finally, after seeing a request from a magazine writer, suggested her own work for praise in the publication, that I saw the generational disconnect. Once she spoke up, she got the story. It’s this kind of self-promotion and media savvy that I believe comes much easier to 20-somethings today. Self-promotion has morphed into something not just practiced in business and academics; it’s a full-blown pastime. Before we’re ever required to write cover letters or submit work samples, we’re already telling the world what our favorite movies, quotes and books are; bragging through photo slideshows about what we did over the weekend or vacations we took; and besting one another in quizzes or games.

While just a, ahem, wee bit older than the 20-something demographic, I can certainly attest to the “Internet courage” that women develop as they fine tune their social networking skills.  And unfortunately, many women do tend to be less conflict- and aggression-averse than men in the workplace.  In that sense, this newfound assertiveness is a positive development. But can it also be a crutch?