If you’re checking out who checked in at different locations last night, it’s likely you’ll notice that mostly your male friends were doing the check-ins. According to a report by the Pew Internet and American Life Project which examines internet trends in the United States, men use Foursquare, Gowalla and other location bases services for check-ins at double the rate of females.
For people unfamiliar with these services, they allow you to check-in at each location you visit, while broadcasting your location to friends and the public (if you choose to share that information). User can then receive badges and other rewards for checking in.
According to the study 6% of males who were asked said they use the services, while only 3 percent of internet using females said they check-in at locations.
According to Pew, men tend to more quickly adopt new technologies since more women are of a senior age (they live longer), which could be why more men are checking in than woman. The fact that personal information about your whereabouts also could be contributing to less women using the technology for safety purposes.
Also found in the research, only 4 percent of web users take part in location based services in the general population, while 18 to 29 year old users number 8 percent by demographic age.
