ABSTRACT
Nowadays, computers and the internet are part of everyday life. Besides socio-demographic factors such as age and education, computer use is associated with other characteristics of an individual. The links between the Big Five personality traits and computer or internet use have been analysed in several studies. Recently, the role of personality traits in social media use has also been studied, although mostly among younger adults. While computer and social media use are obviously a way of spending leisure time, for middle-aged adults computer use does not mean leisure entertainment alone, as it is also used for work-related activities. This chapter investigates which personality traits predict computer use in midlife, and whether work characteristics and leisure activities mediate these associations. The chapter also discusses the moderating role of gender. The development of technology is so rapid that its use will have characteristics specific to every age cohort.
