The digital habitus of the unwedded emerging adults: a sociological interpretation of male-female differences in Facebook behavior

Abstract

Purpose By considering Facebook as a social context of manifesting digital habitus, this paper aims to explore the differences between men and women in the compensatory use of Facebook, their engagement in crafting and exhibiting virtual self-representation, and addictive traits associated with it. It is argued that while Facebook compensates for the negative consequences of real-world experiences by allowing users, particularly women to display an ideal self or a true virtual self and so aid in socializing, users eventually develop an addiction, which results in various social difficulties. Design/methodology/approach The study surveyed 511 male and 413 female undergraduate students who were between 19 to 26 years of age and reported being unmarried. Psycho-Social Aspects of Facebook Use Scale was used to solicit the responses. The factors were quantified by the items selected from the scale, and confirmatory factor analysis was used to assess the construct validity and reliability of items to check the usability of the scale in cross-cultural contexts. The Independent Samples t-test was used to check whether statistical evidence exists that the related sample means of men and women vary significantly. Findings While there is no difference in virtualizing the self by gender; women perceive Facebook as more compensating than men. Likewise, compared with men, women are found to be more self-presenting, more addictive and highly involved in socializing. The item-wise differences show that Facebook comparatively enhances the self-esteem of the women and women are more adventurous than men in Facebook interaction. Originality/value The study argues that there is a strong connection between the digital habitus and the social world. Social values and conditioning constrain people’s intention of being in the digital world and reflect their intention and decisions. Overall, the study is the most elaborative quantitative examination of how men and women differ in their Facebook behavior.