E-mail is used to maintain two primary human relationships, interaction between individuals and preserving relationships with organizations. 278 participants from a medium-size university in the southwest completed two measures developed to assess the quantity of e-mail used to maintain interpersonal and organizational relationships. Analysis indicated that men (M = 5.8, SD = 2.7) and women (M = 6.6, SD = 2.5) significantly differed in frequency of e-mail used to maintain interpersonal relationships, but not in reference to organizational maintenance.
Get full access to this article
View all access options for this article.
References
1.
AllenD. G.GriffethR. W. (1997) Vertical and lateral information procession: The effect of sex employee classification level, and media richness on communication and work outcomes, Human Relations, 50, 1239–1261.
2.
DawleyD. D.AnthonyW. P. (2003) User perceptions of e-mail at work. Journal of Business Technology, 17, 170–200.
3.
DindiaK.CanaryD. J. (1993) Definitions and theoretical perspectives on maintaining relationships. Journal of Social and Personal Relationships, 10, 163–173.
4.
HarperV. B. (2003) Sex differences in perceived attributes of computer-mediated communication. Psychological Reports, 92, 231–234.
5.
JacksonL. A. (2001) Sex and the Internet: Women communicating and men searching. Sex Roles: A Journal of Research, 44, 351–361.
6.
McKennaK. Y. A.GreenA. S.GleasonM. J. (2002) Relationship formation on the Internet: What's the big attraction?Journal of Social Issues, 58, 9–32.
7.
RainieL.FoxS.HorriganJ.LenhartA.SpoonerT. (2000) Tracking online life: How women use the internet to cultivate relationships with family and friends. Washington, DC: Pew Internet & American Life Project.
8.
ShortJ.WilliamsE.ChristieB. (1976) The psychology of telecommunication. London: Wiley.
9.
StaffordL.KlineS. L.DimmickJ. (1999) Home e-mail: Relational maintenance and gratification opportunities. Journal of Broadcasting and Electronic Media, 43, 659–669.
10.
SussmanN. M.TysonD. H. (2000) Sex and power: Sex differences in computer-mediated interactions. Computers in Human Behavior, 16, 381–394.
11.
TurnerJ. (1987) Rediscovering the social group: A self-categorization theory. Oxford, UK: Basil Blackwell.
12.
WaltherJ. B. (1992) Interpersonal effects in computer-mediated interaction: A relational perspective. Communication Research, 19, 52–90.