NEW YORK — Black women are more likely than other female consumers to spend time embracing technology, and they view cellphones and the Internet as tools of empowerment and self-expression, a study finds.
Compared with other women, five times as many black women — 36 percent — use cellphones for three or more hours a day, according to research released Thursday by Time Inc.’s Essence magazine.
Black women also spend more extended time using iPods, computers, high-definition TVs and DVD players.
The findings defy an image of technology consumers focused on young men, said Carmen Bryant, director of consumer research for Essence.
“All women use technology to gain control in their lives,” Bryant said. But, she said, African-American women also use technology as “a way to empower themselves to move forward.”
The survey found 42 percent of black women reported spending $100 to $499 or more on cellphones, compared with 26 percent of other women.
Black women also embrace new mobile technology, with 21 percent of them using cellphone Web browsers to make purchases, compared with 8 percent of other women.
The Essence study included an online survey of 800 black women and 400 non-black women ages 18 to 54. Cox News Service
