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

Abstract

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to study smartphone use and its positive and negative effects and to provide recommendations for balanced use. Design/methodology/approach To study phone use, this paper applies the uses and gratification theory and gathered interview data from 24 participants on the participants’ frequency of use, mode of communication, people contacted and the reasons for using their phones. This paper analyzes the pros and cons of using smartphones using the Yin-Yang worldview. Findings This paper finds that people use their smartphones for communication, entertainment and other specific functions. Ease of communication and multitasking are the key benefits, and overuse and disconnect from the real world are the detriments in smartphone use. Research limitations/implications The findings can enable future researchers and practitioners to view smartphones and their effects more holistically, rather than seeing it only from the negative or the positive lens. Practical implications The proposed framework can help the reader to consider their daily use of smartphones and their ways of balancing their presence in the virtual and the real worlds. Originality/value This paper proposes the Yin-Yang framework of smartphone use and provides recommendations for effective usage.

Disconnectedness in a connected world: why people ignore messages and calls

“…Outside of our study for this larger project (including Agarwal and Lu, 2020, 2021), we could not find prior empirical studies that have discussed non-response behavior using smartphones. The study contributes to research in mobile information behavior, and the wider fields of information science, sociology, communication, psychology and mental health.…”

“…The paper also did not dig deeper into technological and smartphone features affecting behavior. We focused on this in Agarwal and Lu (2021), which delved into the general impact of smartphone usage and communication, building upon the preliminary work of Agarwal and Lu (2019). Apart from the sender and receiver roles, other contextual factors and moderators such as actor variables (gender, education, age, nationality, level of skill, etc.…”

“…The rest of the questions investigated as part of the larger study (i.e. the missing numbers in Table 2) can be seen in Agarwal and Lu (2020, 2021). The interview questions addressed in this study are not renumbered so that they indicate their sequence among the entire 43 questions of the larger study.…”

“…The “Ledger of Harms” lists the “invisible harms” to humans and society unleashed by the race for human attention cause by technology platforms that are “under immense pressure to prioritize engagement and growth” (Center for Humane Technology, 2021). Along with the positives that smartphones bring, Agarwal and Lu (2019, 2021) discuss the negative outcomes of smartphone use on health and well-being. The portability (Agarwal, 2014; Agarwal, 2018, pp.…”

Established Adults, Who Self-Identify as Smartphone and/or Social Media Overusers, Struggle to Balance Smartphone Use for Personal and Work Purposes

“…Ninety-five percent of established adults in the U.S. own a smartphone (PEW, 2021a;Statista, 2021), which is higher than the percentage of U.S. adults, in general, who report owning a smartphone. Established adults mainly text and use smartphones to contact family, close friends, and coworkers (Agarwal & Lu, 2021). Established adults spend approximately 255 min per day using their smartphone, and of that time 74 min is spent on social media applications (apps) (The Nielsen Company, 2020).…”