Internet users living secret lives online

21-06-2007

by Charlie Taylor

As many as 17 percent of Irish males and 13 percent of females claim to be secretly ashamed of things they have done online, a new study indicates.

According to research carried out by BT Ireland, 56 percent of Irish adults now use the internet each day, with a further 30 percent of males and 26 percent of females going online every second day, or twice weekly.

While the majority of Irish internet users restrict themselves to regular activities such as catching up on news, booking holidays, banking online and spending time on social networking sties such as Bebo and MySpace, it would seem as though others turn to the net for less wholesome deeds.

The study reveals that while male internet users in Cork say they have done nothing they'd be ashamed of, 36 percent of online men in Dublin aren't proud of the fact that they gamble online, while 29 percent admitted that they've secretly looked at their partner's e-mails.

In the meantime, some 67 percent of Limerick females said they engaged in a number of 'shameful' online activities such as gambling, overspending on their credit cards and checking their partner's e-mails. Dublin women meanwhile are predominantly embarrassed by the amount of money they spend on handbags and shoes and, like their counterparts in Galway, by the amount of time they spend on Bebo.

As many as 10 percent of Irish males and 7 percent of females also admit to having a secret life online. Up to 7 percent of online men said they secretly spend time on adult websites, compared to just 2 percent of women. In addition, females based in Dublin and Limerick also admitted to buying products and betting without their partner's knowledge.

The study indicates that Irish men and women tend to use the internet differently, with the majority of men going online to check up on news and sports, do their online banking and book holidays, while women are more likely to use social networking websites, buy clothes and download music from the web.

A quarter of Irish males and 33 percent of females admitted that it is easier to spend money online. However, 66 percent of men and 58 percent of women said they spent less than EUR50 per month, while 28 percent of males and 39 percent of females shell out between EUR50 and EUR200 per month. Only 3 percent of Irish males and females claimed to spend more than EUR200 per month on the internet.

Lastly, the study found that as the internet has increased in popularity, so too have arguments, with 20 percent of couples admitting to arguing over the amount of time their partner spends online.