Gender and social resources: digital divides of social network sites and mobile phone use in Singapore

This study examines the impact of gender and social resources on how people use social network sites (SNS) and mobile phones to network in a Confucian culture. Analyses of survey data from Singapore showed that males use mobile phones or SNS for professional connections more frequently than females. The use of SNS or mobile phones to contact friends does not differ between genders. People with more social resources use both technologies more often to interact with professional or personal connections. Nevertheless, the effect of social resource on usage does not vary across genders. Implications for second-order digital divide and media use are discussed.