Over-connected? A qualitative exploration of smartphone addiction among working adults in China

Abstract

Background Smartphones currently dominate people’s lives and interests due to their increased affordability and functionality. However, the negative aspects of smartphone use, such as smartphone addiction, have recently been brought up. This study utilized a qualitative approach to explore the symptoms of smartphone addiction among working adults in China and the psychological factors that affect such addiction. Methods Semi-structured interviews, either face to face or via Skype (online), were conducted with 32 Chinese workers. The collected data were analyzed using a thematic analysis approach in Nvivo 10 software. Results This study identified four typical symptoms of smartphone addiction, namely, withdrawal (e.g., experiencing negative feelings when having no access to smartphones), salience (e.g., constant checking and thinking about smartphones), conflict (e.g., smartphone use interferes with family and work life), and phantom phone signals (e.g., illusory perception of a phone vibrating or ringing). Conscientiousness, neuroticism, and extroversion increase the likelihood of smartphone addiction. Notably, this study found that conscientious workers are likely to develop smartphone addiction, a finding that is contrary to those of the majority of existing studies on technological addiction. Conclusions This study revealed various smartphone addiction symptoms among young Chinese workers, and these include withdrawal, salience, conflicts, and phantom phone signals. Conscientious, neurotic, and extroverted employees are likely to exhibit these symptoms.

Behavioral Addictions Questionnaire (BAQ): Validation of a New Tool for the Screening of Multiple Addictive Behaviors in the Italian Population

“…This class of behaviors is strongly related to the current use of the smartphone as the prominent device for Internet access. Furthermore, they allow people to install various applications and utilities to perform numerous activities according to personal needs and interests (Li & Lin, 2019). Regarding shopping addiction, a meta-analysis (Maraz et al, 2016) reported a pooled prevalence in the adult population of 4.9%, in line with our findings; however, the authors highlighted a variation in prevalence between samples due to the different instruments as well as the inclusion of new strategies of buying (e.g., online shopping).…”

Smartphone Addiction and Fear of Missing out: Does Smartphone Use Matter for Students’ Academic Performance?

“…Recent research has suggested that addiction should be widened to cover a broader range of behaviours (Chen, 2020;Young, 2010 (Griffiths, 1998;Panova & Carbonell, 2018;Panova, Carbonell, Chamarro & Puerta-Cortes, 2020). Some researchers have observed mobile phone users and found symptoms of addiction such as withdrawal, salience, phantom phone signals (Li & Lin, 2019) and anxiety (Ha, Chin, Park, Ryu & Yu, 2008).…”

“…For example, Billieux, Maurage, Lopez-Fernandez, Kuss and Griffiths (2015) and Panova and Carbonell (2018) proposed using other terms such as 'problematic use' when studying excessive use and the negative (Griffiths, 1998;Panova & Carbonell, 2018;Panova, Carbonell, Chamarro & Puerta-Cortes, 2020). Some researchers have observed mobile phone users and found symptoms of addiction such as withdrawal, salience, phantom phone signals (Li & Lin, 2019) and anxiety (Ha, Chin, Park, Ryu & Yu, 2008).…”

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“…Teknolojinin gelişmesiyle birlikte geleneksel telefonlar dönüşüme uğramış ve işlevsellik kazanarak telefonla konuşmanın dışında birçok ihtiyacımızı karşılar hale gelmiştir [36]. Bankacılık işlemlerinden navigasyona, sosyal iletişimden eğlenceye kadar çeşitli birçok alanda kullanılan akıllı telefonlar artık günlük yaşantının bir vazgeçilmezi olmuştur [24,8]. Artan işlevsellikleri ile hayatı daha kolay bir hale getiren akıllı telefonların hem kullanıcı sayıları hem de kullanım süreleri önemli bir artış göstermiştir [11].…”