Use and Perception of Technology: Sex and Generational Differences in a Community Sample

Abstract

A community sample of 431 adults (175 men and 256 women) ages 18 to 91 across three generations (young adults, adults, and older adults) were recruited for the current study. Participants completed a demographic and technology use questionnaire that ascertained their attitudes toward, and use of, various types of technology—such as cellular telephones—for calling, texting, and downloading purposes. Significant sex differences included females being more likely to send a text message and make a cellular telephone call when fighting with a significant other. Females were also more likely to make calls and send texts to share good news than males. Significant age differences included younger adults being most likely versus the oldest adult group to view technology as a useful tool for entertainment, as well as adapting to and having more comfort with current technology. Future research directions are suggested, such as the use of cellular telephones for work versus personal purposes, as it was found that adults made and received more cellular telephone calls per day than the oldest and youngest age groups, which may be a function of employment status.

Acknowledgments

The authors are indebted to the students in Michele Van Volkom's Research Methods in Psychology and Lab courses from summer 2010, fall 2010, spring 2011, and summer 2011 for their assistance with data collection and data entry.

Notes

Note. Daily cell phone calls made and received were answered in an open-ended format. All other questions were answered on a 1–7 scale, with 1 being not at all likely and 7 being extremely likely.