Title: Gender and student-status differences in cellular telephone use

Authors: Lori DeBaillon, Patricia Rockwell

Addresses: St. Thomas More High School, 450 E. Farrell Rd., Lafayette, LA 70508, USA. ' Department of Communication, University of Louisiana at Lafayette, Lafayette, LA 70504, USA

Abstract: This study attempted to determine differences in cellular telephone use according to gender and student-status. The impetus for the study comes from the uses and gratifications theory, which has traditionally been used to investigate how audiences use various mass media such as television and radio to satisfy their needs. This project attempted to investigate uses of the cellular telephone. Surveys were distributed to three groups (high school students, college students, and non-student adults). Results indicated that college students were the heaviest users followed by high school students and non-student adults. The results also revealed that the gender gap in cellular telephone use is narrowing, with men and women reporting virtually equal usage. Ten percent of the respondents reported that their cellular telephones have replaced their landline telephones for everyday usage. Only 10% of the participants in this study reported that they did not own a cellular telephone.

Keywords: cellular telephone usage; landline; uses; needs; communication; media; gender gap; college students; high school students; adults; mobile communications; mobile phones; cell phones; wireless communication.

DOI: 10.1504/IJMC.2005.005876

International Journal of Mobile Communications, 2005 Vol.3 No.1, pp.82 - 98

Published online: 23 Dec 2004 *

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