"Why can't he just surf one site at a time, instead of chatting with ten people including his ex girlfriend? Despite my asking for his email account password, he refuses to give it. If he is not chatting and emailing other women, why should it bother him? Men!" That was my sister's side of the story.

Her boyfriend had another tale. "She spends hours writing long emails. And why does she have to spend so much time checking her horoscope at sites like Linda Goodman's, Astrology.com, and Astrocenter.com? She and her friends actually recommend astrology sites to each other. What next? Women really are from Mars even if it is on the Net," he complained.

They are not the only ones who have decided never to surf together again. Anand and Nupur have marked their time together as Internet free. Says Anand, "She freaks when I multitask online. Drinking coffee, chatting with strangers, surfing while she is trying to download her mail. So, till we get two laptops like we have two televisions, we are definitely not going to surf together."

To cut a long story short, do men and women surf differently?

"Of course! Thank god they do. I wouldn't be caught spending hours at some fashion site or reading an article on 'How do you save your relationship'," says 23-year-old Ashutosh Parekh. Reshma Trenchill, a 28-year-old points out, "For men, the Internet is all about porn. They may be impatient waiting for mail to download, but will wait for hours to download a picture of a nude woman."

Psychiatrists insist it is merely the inherent biological socio-cultural differences between men and women that persist online. Explains Dr. Jogelkar, consulting psychiatrist and Neuro Logistics Programming Trainer, "While men might use email more for business communication or career related prospects, women prefer to use it to stay in touch with their relatives and friends." Research from surveys like Teenage Life Online also points out that men tend to seek out dominance and sexual fantasy online, while women seek out close friendships, romantic partners, and prefer anonymous communication in which to hide their appearance.

Also, the Internet is not all fun and games for most men. Says Mohit Agarwal, a cyber cafe owner, "It has become a medium for men to demonstrate their dominance in a new form. From playing games to boasting about their online conquests, this is a new way to do so. Women, on the other hand, are more patient but definitely less willing to experiment."

While there are instances of women being stalked or being harassed online, men are equally vulnerable. Explains Ashish Mehra, a net addict who has been ditched often by his online girlfriends, "Men are more at risk because they become more expressive and risk the chance of being hurt, which they would not have done offline. I would never marry someone I met online."

Both sexes agree that the Internet makes people more tolerant. Pradeep Natrajan, an entrepreneur, says, "I got a chat request from a girl on ICQ. We chatted for days on end, till she confessed me a few days ago that she was a transvestite. In real life, I would have been terrified to even interact with one."

Privacy is another serious issue where the two sexes concur. "I am extremely discreet about my email and instant messengers, so much so that I rarely chat from work. Where you are connected from makes all the difference," says Prithika Verma.

And if you thought watching cricket even while there was Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi playing was a common complaint women had about men, here's the latest: "I am talking to my boyfriend at work on the phone and hear him chatting with his boss or friends online. That makes me so mad…"

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