Internet Addiction and Fear of Missing Out

Smartphones and the evolution of new ICTs have enabled people, especially the youth, to stay connected to their social and professional network. This has resulted in compulsive checking for status updates and messages, for fear of missing out (FOMO). FOMO, which is a form of internet addiction, has its downside among students. This chapter is an empirical study that seeks to examine the disruptive effect of FOMO on the academic performance of students. Four hundred twenty-two university students were surveyed on their use of internet (social media services) and its result on their academic activities. A Likert scale was used to measure their use of the internet (social media) and its relationship with their academic performance. Chi-square and factor analysis were conducted. The results showed that continuous use of internet had negative effect on students' academic performance and it affected the female students more than their male counterparts. Tertiary institutions should intensify guidance and counselling sessions for students in order to mitigate the negative effects of use of internet on students.

Understanding the Reasons for Gender Difference in Online Information Processing of Consumers

This chapter aims to provide proposals about understanding the gender difference in online information processing that have been developed based on the theories and the findings of the current research. Major findings in the literature indicate the gender difference in online information processing. This chapter can be used to help gain insight about the online consumer behavior based on gender approach by presenting theoretical perspective, providing basis for future research, enrich the understanding about gender differences in online information processing, and to give suggestion for implications requiring strategic decisions.

Meeting Gender Gaps in Information and Communication Technology (ICT)

This chapter will bridge theories such as ICT, creativity, learning, and gender in one framework, and particularly focuses on how to meet gender gaps in learning contexts by using ICT and the strategies of developing gender sensitive creativity training programs in developing contexts. In this sense, this chapter contributes to imply both how to encourage more women users and how women can better use ICT for developing contexts in the changes towards creative society. Accordingly, a review on developing ICT-supported educational programs in diverse contexts around the world will be firstly made, which highlights the strategy of learning though ICT is not a new initiative; however, why gender gaps in using ICT are still key issues? This drives this chapter to further discuss gender gaps in developing creativity by ICT from a psychological perspective. Finally, a series of strategies of developing gender sensitive creativity training programs will be discussed in order to facilitate the changes towards a creative society.

Gender Differences in ICT Studies

This study provides an empirical investigation of gender differences in ICT studies in selected public secondary schools. It describes gender differences in terms of students' attitude, perception, and choice of ICT subjects, parental influence, age, and religion. The study engages survey of selected public secondary schools in the region and in-depth interview of relevant stakeholders for the primary data. The study findings are anchored on existing literature, relevant theoretical positions, and data from statistical analyses. It concludes that equal opportunities in ICT studies for male and female students will empower all groups to contribute maximally to science and technology revolution for achieving needed economic and national development in the country.

Gender and Use of E-Government Services in Turkey

This chapter investigates the relationship between gender and use of e-government services in Turkey. Based on household surveys, probit regression models are estimated to quantify determinants of e-government use for Turkish citizens. Empirical findings imply that there is a gender gap in use of e-government services. Turkish females are less likely to employ e-government tools compared to Turkish males. Household income, education level, being employed, and frequency of internet use are positively correlated with probability of e-government use for Turkish individuals. Finally, age demonstrates negative association with use of online government services. As the individual gets older, probability of using e-government platforms decreases. Thus, the digital divide prevails among Turkish citizens and should be addressed by policymakers.

The Conundrum of Falling Participation of Women in Math and Computing Jobs

The USA and Denmark are leading information communications technologies (ICT)-enabled economies and have a variety of policies to promote women in ICT occupations, but both report that just roughly 25% of math and computing jobs in their respective countries are held by women, a number that continues to decline. The trend is odd given that the ICT industry globally notes a growing shortage of workers as well as a potential for lost revenue if positions go unfilled. Given the situation and a significant evidence that women's participation in companies is associated with greater profitability, one would assume ICT companies to be profit-maximizing and thus do more to attract and retain women. The trends are also odd given that the participation of women in scientific occupations in the life, physical, and social sciences are increasing overall. This chapter briefly reviews the situation and recommendations to address it, including increasing mentorship for women and recognizing and addressing bias in the workplace.

Sustainable Development With the Digitalization of Women

There is no single field that is unaffected by the developments experienced in information and communication technologies today. However, the questions, Have women been affected by these intensive technological developments and technology utilization—which are efficient in every field—as much as men have? If not, how may this be reversed? and how may technology be made effective in making women economic? arouse curiosity. Therefore, the study was shaped by answering these questions. Another reason why the study took these questions as the basis is that women and technology are of profound importance in the sustainable development and growth of societies. Women's efficient use of technology is a must to turn the changes and developments experienced in information and communication technologies into opportunities and to reach the standards of the information society. Women's economic empowerment and technology were examined, the importance of the subject was emphasized, and recommendations were made within the scope of the study.

Personality and ICT Adoption

Globally, the gender gap still exists. An interesting reason for this is the passive usage or non-adoption of ICT by women who have access to ICTs and can also afford ICTs. In order to understand this phenomenon, an exploratory research was conducted to identify why women adopt current ICTs. The most used ICTs are social media platforms and mobile internet services. An exploratory study was conducted to observe four women: three from South America and one from the Middle East who subscribe to WhatsApp. The major outcome was the plausible influence of a woman's personality on her usage of WhatsApp. The women with high extroversion used social media and mobile phones more than women at the opposite end of the spectrum. The women with very low extroversion almost rejected social media platforms and recorded low mobile phone usage. This implies that women with very low extroversion may not find ICTs appealing. Based on these outcomes, the chapter advocates for a more concrete research to understanding this trend.

Women's Employment in Turkey's ICT Sector

Women constitute one of the risk groups vulnerable to poverty; therefore, enabling their participation in the labor force is crucial to promoting social inclusion in a society. Employment in the information and communication technology (ICT) sector is widely known for being male-dominated, and recently women's participation has become an important subject. This chapter aims to examine women's employment in Turkey's ICT sector from 2009 to 2016, from a social inclusion perspective, by using various indicators. Comparisons with European Union (EU) countries provide perspective on tracking the progress of employment structure and education choices for ICT by gender. All indicators signify the existence of a gender gap resulting in low rates of inclusion of women in Turkey's ICT employment during the period. Examination of the reasons leads to making some policy recommendations to promote social inclusion of women in Turkey's ICT employment.

A Human Rights-Based Approach to Bridge Gender Digital Divide

Using India as a case study, this chapter examines four elements of gender digital divide, the causes of gender digital divide, and ways to bridge gender digital divide. It finds that girls and women do not have equal access to the internet and mobile technologies like men do. This is due to social norms favoring men in the distribution of resources and opportunities, women's lack of the economic means, and ineffective law enforcement. This study calls for a human rights-based approach to bridge gender digital divide, which emphasizes women's rights to ICT-related education and training, internet privacy and freedom of expression, and mobile phone ownership.