The Participation Divide Among “Online Experts”: Experience, Skills and Psychological Factors as Predictors of College Students' Web Content Creation

TLDR

The study examined how psychological factors—perceived competence, extrinsic and intrinsic motivations—predict online content creation among college students, drawing on technology adoption, digital divide, and self‑determination theory literature. Survey results show gender, race, and age differences in online content creation, with computer ownership linked to higher participation; when controlling for experience, skills, perceived competence, and intrinsic motivation, the gender gap vanishes but a new racial gap appears, with whites less likely to participate than minorities.

Abstract

This study explored factors that predict online content creation among college students. A Web-based survey revealed that there are differences by gender, race, and age even among this wired group. Drawing from literature on technology adoption, the digital divide, and self-determination theory, this study found that psychological factors–perceived competence and both extrinsic and intrinsic motivations–predict content creation. Among the experience variables, having a computer in the students' own room is associated with content creation when controlling for all other factors. The gender divide disappears when experience, skills, perceived competence, and intrinsic motivation are considered. Finally, a new racial gap emerged; whites are less likely than minorities to participate in the Web even after controlling for all other variables.