USAGE PATTERNS OF MOBILE APPLICATIONS AMONG YOUTH: A GENDER PERSPECTIVE

Abstract

The high rate of mobile apps growth has inherently changed the way that the youth socialize, communicate, and access information across the world. Mobile applications have been integrated into the everyday life of the people of developing nations such as Pakistan especially in colleges. This paper will consider the gender usage of mobile applications among the youthful population with respect to frequency of usage, type of preferred application used, purpose of application usage, and the perceived impact on every day and academic life. The research design adopted was a quantitative survey where students of the university (250 in total) were used to collect data through a structured questionnaire. Gender-based differences in the use of mobile applications are significant and can be analyzed descriptively and in comparison. While male respondents exhibited greater preferences for entertainment, gaming, and utility-based applications, female respondents showed greater engagement with communication, social networking, and educational applications. The results advance our knowledge of Pakistani youths' online behavior and offer useful advice to educators, legislators, and app developers who want to create inclusive and useful online communities.