Gender Differences in Email and Instant Messaging: A Study of Undergraduate Business Information Systems Students

Abstract

This study examined gender differences concerning the use and perceived usefulness of email and instant messaging software. Participants were asked to rate both media in terms of frequency and usefulness. The findings provide evidence that women perceive email as more useful than men do when communicating with people who were geographically distant. Aside from that difference, this study suggests that male and female college students use and perceive email and instant messaging in a similar manner. There was no evidence of a statistically significant difference between men’s and women’s perceptions of email or instant messaging usefulness and frequency of use when communicating with people who were geographically close. There was also no evidence of a statistically significant difference between men and women in usefulness perceptions when using instant messaging for communicating with people who were geographically distant. Key Words: gender differences, email, instant messaging, usefulness, ease of use, technology acceptance model, channel expansion