Abstract:
While much research has been conducted on consumer skepticism about advertising, limited
attention has been focused on the relationship between gender and scepticism. As the Internet
and new technologies continuously transform corporate communications, the relationship
between gender and scepticism in new media such as the blogosphere begs further research.
This article focuses on consumer scepticism of blogs that review products, services and
technologies. Demographic variables – and particularly gender – are commonly employed to
segment target audiences in an attempt to fit appeals specifically directed at males or females,
or both. This article investigates three associated relationships: first, when gender is a significant
predictor of consumer scepticism of blogs; second, when a relationship exists between scepticism
as a predictor of the frequency of blogs accessed; and lastly, when scepticism is a predictor
of the number of blogs visited. Data from Australia and South Africa provide the findings and
offer guidance to practitioners for their new media selection and gender-based communication
messages.
