How Culture Matters in Internet Usage

Abstract

This study investigates cultural influences on the way that the Internet is utilised. We specifically examine how online time is allocated between information searching and communication in two culturally distinct societies: South Korea and the United States. Based on the argument that personal communication in South Korea shows a higher level of contexting, which is not easily transmitted over the Internet, we hypothesise that Koreans spend relatively less time on online communication than Americans do. Our analyses of time-use data support this hypothesis. We find that the difference between the societies is not in the length of time spent on online communication, but the choice of the Internet as a communication medium. Koreans are less likely to view the Internet as a communication medium than Americans, although they are equally active once involved in this activity.