Perceived versus actual computer-email-web fluency

The purpose of this study was to compare people’s perception of their computer-email-web (CEW) fluency to their actual abilities performing related tasks. A total of 61 subjects (51% female, mean age 19) participated in the research sessions. Participants completed the CEW fluency scale [Bunz, U. (2004). The computer-email-web (CEW) fluency scale – Development and validation. International Journal of Human-Computer Interaction, 17(4), 477–504.], the computer anxiety ratings scale [Heinssen, R. K., Glass, C. R., & Knight L. A. (1987). Assessing computer anxiety: Development and validation of the computer anxiety rating scale. Computers in Human Behavior, 3, 49–59.], and an applied protocol developed for this study. Results show that the less computer anxiety subjects reported, the higher they perceived their CEW fluency to be (p = .001), but there was no significant relationship between computer anxiety and actual fluency (p = .12). There was no gender difference as to actual CEW fluency (p = .11), but women perceived their fluency lower than did men (p = .012). Overall results validate the robustness of the CEW fluency scale, help identify CEW fluency as a digital divide component, and underscore the importance of initiatives to raise women’s technological self-confidence.