Research questions: McKenna and Bargh (1998) postulate that homosexual people are much more online than heterosexual because of the anonymity. The present study tried to examine which online services are used by homosexual people. We tried to observe the percentage of homosexual people in an online population.

Methods: An online-study was designed to survey 906 participants (631 heterosexual, 45 bisexual, 176 homosexual). We used questions about online communication services and applications and the SIAS - Social Interaction Anxiety Scale (Stangier et al., 1999). The link for this study was posted in (non homosexual) discussion forums and news groups, sent to friends and relatives by email and was sent by mail-newsletters to employees of the companies VOEST-Alpine, CNH St. Valentin and KAPSCH Vienna.

Summary and discussion: Results show a significant difference in giving the answer in item 14 of SIAS “It is difficult to talk to an attractive person of the opposite-sex” (Z=-7,256, p<0,001). Chat-Applications (chat with strangers) are high significant more used by homosexual people than heterosexual people. They use online-pornography significant more often than heterosexual people (χ2 (3,N=809)=48,055, p<0,001), Online-Games are used significant less often (χ2 (3, N=795)=25,173, p<0,001). Due to McKenna and Bargh (1998) there is a hint that marginal groups thrive on the internet. Maybe the anonymity of the Internet allows homosexual people to get to know more like-minded people than in real life and they can live out more online than offline. The finding of SIAS Item 14 demonstrates the importance of sexual-orientation neutrally questionnaires. Further studies are needed to prove these results.