Understanding Gender Differences in Media Perceptions of Hedonic Systems

Abstract

As technology improves in hedonic and affective dimensions, women's interests in technology may increase. In this research, the authors are interested in understanding gender differences in media perceptions of hedonic systems. They draw upon Hunter-Gatherer Theory of Spatial Gender Differences and Jung's Theory of Psychological Types on Gender Differences to hypothesize differences in men's and women's perceptions of skill, challenge, telepresence, and satisfaction with online experiences in 2D versus 3D hedonic environments. The results of their experiment indicate that even though women perceive lower skill levels and greater challenge in using 2D and 3D hedonic systems than men, women's' perceived sense of telepresence is higher than men in both 2D and 3D hedonic environments. In addition, women are more satisfied with 2D and 3D hedonic experiences than men. The authors' findings suggest that consistent with Jung's Theory of Psychological Types on Gender Differences, women's perceptions of hedonic systems are more positive than men and, hence, making technology intuitive, enjoyable, and fun to use can potentially increase women's participation in the information and communication technology workforce. Additionally, given that women perceive more challenge and skill issues in using technology but are more favorable toward hedonic systems than men, the authors suggest that the use of hedonic systems to support K-12 education systems, such as computer or serious gaming for education, can generate females' interests in technology at an early age.

Men are from Mars and women are from Venus: dyadic collaboration in the metaverse

“…Additionally, the gender of team members can affect one's perceptions and performance in the team (Kenny and Men are from Mars and women are from Venus 149 Garcia, 2012). Similarly, the influence of gender is present in virtual collaborations (Gefen and Ridings, 2005;Gefen and Straub, 1997;Hess et al, 2005;Nah and Eschenbrenner, 2016;Weber et al, 2009). As Gray (1992) pointed out in his book "Men are from Mars, Women are from Venus", a man's sense of self is defined by his ability to achieve results, and a woman's sense of self is defined through her feelings and relationships.…”

“…How do same-and mixed-gender groups affect team collaboration in the metaverse? Some research has examined gender roles in group use of technology for communication (Gefen and Ridings, 2005;Hess et al, 2005;Nah and Eschenbrenner, 2016;Weber et al, 2009), yet, to the best of our knowledge, no empirical study has investigated gender mix in team collaboration in the metaverse. Therefore, our research aims to understand how gender mix influences two important variables in team collaboration, satisfaction and trust, in the metaverse.…”

“…Similarly, the influence of gender is present in virtual collaborations (Gefen and Ridings, 2005; Gefen and Straub, 1997; Hess et al. , 2005; Nah and Eschenbrenner, 2016; Weber et al. , 2009).…”

“…Some research has examined gender roles in group use of technology for communication (Gefen and Ridings, 2005; Hess et al. , 2005; Nah and Eschenbrenner, 2016; Weber et al. , 2009), yet, to the best of our knowledge, no empirical study has investigated gender mix in team collaboration in the metaverse.…”

Technology-Mediated Synchronous Virtual Education

“…The 3-D environment can provide numerous possibilities for educators who want innovative ways to teach and get learners involved (Siau et al ,2010;Nah and Eschenbrenner, 2016). We discussed in our previous study (Chen, et al, 2012) the characteristics of students of "Generation Next" as suggested by Proserpio (2007) and how they perform in a 3D learning environment compared with a face-toface (FtF) traditional learning environment.…”