Smartphone Usage, Gratifications, and Addiction

Abstract

Combining a survey and focus groups as a mixed-methods research, the authors of this chapter examined the functions, types, and motivations of smartphone usage and gratifications. Furthermore, the authors also investigated the rates, symptoms, and reasons of smartphone addiction. Still another achievement of the authors was to look into the relationship between smartphone usage, gratifications, and addiction with academic achievements among college students. On top of identifying three levels of addiction, the authors also located distinctive traits of these levels. This chapter provided an interesting example of how mixed-methods research can be employed to investigate mobile use, gratifications, and addiction. It is expected from the editor that this chapter would lead to more comparative studies between or among countries or cultures using by using a mixed-methods research to triangulate and/or complement findings of using different research methods. The inclusion of this chapter in this volume is also meant to invite further studies to investigate the gap between what mobile users want and what they actually get from using mobile as well as its related experience on both the normative and the empirical sides.

The Yin and Yang of smartphones: an interview study of smartphone use and its effects

“…At a very basic level, smartphones are popular because they enable individuals to keep their minds occupied and to feel connected. These findings are consistent with previous studies that have found a number of positive motivations for people to use smartphones (Livingston, 2010;Tillander, 2011;Agarwal, 2014;Pew Research, 2017;AlBarashdi and Bouazza, 2019). As Annoni et al (2021) found a continuous search for connections is one of the primary drivers for smartphone use.…”

“…These benefits are also seen in some prior studies e.g. Agarwal (2014), Pew Research (2017) and AlBarashdi and Bouazza (2019). When not balanced properly, the very features and benefits also come with their own set of detriments.…”

“…smartphones inhibiting people from being fully connected to “real life.” This has been summarized in book titles such as “Alone together” (Turkle, 2017) and “Disconnected… digitally distracted” (Kersting, 2016). The negative aspects of smartphone use were highlighted in prior studies such as Smetaniuk (2014), Haug et al (2015), Fullwood et al (2017), Ding and Li (2017), Ryding and Kaye (2018), AlBarashdi and Bouazza (2019) and Annoni et al (2021). Goldman (2021) concluded that smartphones can affect people’s work-life balance irreparably.…”

“…Agarwal (2014) studied the use of touch devices by a child. Almunawar et al (2018) used the theory of reasoned action to evaluate smartphone use in Brunei – AlBarashdi and Bouazza (2019) carried out a mixed-method study of undergraduates on smartphone use, gratification and addiction – These studies cited many positive motivations for the user to use smartphones. Lower-income and smartphone-dependent users use them for job and employment resources, while young adults use them for job seeking, educational content, health information and navigation.…”

“…Children use them for watching videos, solving puzzles and playing games (Agarwal, 2014). On the negative aspects of smartphones, studies have focused on the overuse, problematic use, attachment and addiction of smartphones among young people, including their attitudes and experiences (Haug et al , 2015; Fullwood et al , 2017; Ryding and Kaye, 2018; AlBarashdi and Bouazza, 2019). Smetaniuk (2014) reported that 10%–25% of people in the USA tended to have problematic cell phone usage.…”