Internet habit strength and online communication: Exploring gender differences

摘要

To examine the relationship between internet habit strength and online communication, as well as the moderating effect of gender on this relationship, 1572 adolescents were recruited to complete anonymous self-report questionnaire. Current findings found that internet habit strength was positively associated with online communication, but that this association was stronger for females than it was for males. This suggests that females with stronger internet habit strength were more likely to engage in online communication than males. The findings indicate that gender does have a decision influence on online communication since it alters the habit strength in Internet. (C) 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.