Rebecca Kamm: Technology and the sexes

Men and women use technology differently.Photo / Thinkstock

Do men use their phones differently to women? I personally had never wondered, but Microsoft had. And they have some very exciting news for us: "It doesn't matter if you're a man or a woman: The way people use (or misuse) their mobile phones can really grate on your nerves."

This is what kills us, according to the Microsoft Safer Online Facebook study:

1. Checking phones constantly

2. Talking loudly

3. Using or not silencing phones when appropriate

4. Using phones during face-to-face conversation

5. Delaying traffic by using phones

But never mind that, because when it comes to mobile security it does actually matter if you're a man or woman. Massively - just look at these mind-blowing stats:

• Women use a PIN or password to lock their mobile device 2 PER CENT less than men.

• 32 per cent of Y chromosomes keep their mobile devices up to date, contrasted with 24 per cent of double-Xs.

• Women are more covetous of their online reputations: they limit personal information online (40 per cent versus 37 per cent) and what strangers can access on their social media: 40 per cent versus 32 per cent.

• Ladies are more careful about what they text (34 per cent versus 31 per cent). I have no idea what that means.

Paradigm-shifting stuff. But the following might be marginally more interesting: in research commissioned by InternetServiceProviders.org, the following on gender and social media was gleaned...

• Facebook has a 58 per cent female user-base and women do 62 per cent of the sharing. Because #vinowiththegirls and #mybabylooksthesameasitdidyesterday.

• But 8 out of 10 women say their Facebook friends "annoy" them.

• The average Google+ user spends only three minutes per month on the network, while the average Facebook user will spend 405 minutes a month updating statuses, posting pictures, and stalking others' profiles. (Wait, Google+ still exists?)

• Yes, it does. And 64 per cent of Google+ users are men - but 75 per cent of them don't interact with other Google+ users. They just go there to meditate in the stillness.

• 71 per cent of women use social networking sites, versus 62 per cent of men.

• Every month, 40 million more women than men visit Twitter.

• Only about 1 person in ten opts for the paid version of LinkedIn. 99.9 percent of those people do it so they can see exactly who's looked at their profiles. (One of those facts is 100 per cent speculation).

Finally, here is a stock image collation both men and womenfolk alike will enjoy. You're welcome.

Follow Rebecca Kamm on Twitter.