The relationship between extraversion and neuroticism and the different uses of the Internet

The present study involves the development of a new self-report scale for the use of Internet services, and examines its relationship to extraversion and neuroticism. Forty-five males and 27 females, differing in extraversion and neuroticism, rated the frequency with which they use each of 12 main Internet services. An exploratory factor analysis revealed three factors of Internet services: social services; information services; and leisure services. Extraversion and neuroticism showed different patterns of relationships with the factors of the Internet-Services Scale, with different patterns of association for men and women. For men, extraversion was positively related to the use of leisure services and neuroticism was negatively related to information services, whereas for women, extraversion was negatively related and neuroticism positively related to the use of social services. Implications for the study of the psychological influences of the Internet are discussed. (C) 2000 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.