Love, desire, and problematic behaviors : exploring young adults’ smartphone use from a uses and gratifications perspective

Vezzoli, M; Zogmaister, C; Coen, S

Abstract

In light of the pervasive adoption of smartphones, scholars have explored the consequences of
problematic (i.e., excessive and uncontrolled) use of this technology. Studies have often shown that
individuals who spend much time using smartphones experience symptoms similar to those of
substance addiction. However, considering the number of hours employed on smartphones as a
criterion for measuring problematic use does not account for what people do with their smartphones
and why. This study aims to understand what gratifications are related to smartphone usage time
and problematic use. Secondly, it aims to understand whether different usage profiles are
identifiable from those gratifications and how they differ in terms of problematic use, time-of-use,
and socio-demographic characteristics. The data from 528 Italian university students had been
collected through a cross-sectional design. Through regression analyses, we found that smartphone
gratifications differentially predict the amount of time spent using the smartphone and the level of
problematic use that students exhibited. Using the K-means clustering technique, we identified five
usage profiles that differed in the amount of time spent using smartphones and, to a greater extent,
in their problematic use levels.

Citation

Vezzoli, M., Zogmaister, C., & Coen, S. (2021). Love, desire, and problematic behaviors : exploring young adults’ smartphone use from a uses and gratifications perspective. Psychology of Popular Media Culture, https://doi.org/10.1037/ppm0000375

• Journal Article Type: Article
• Acceptance Date: Sep 15, 2021
• Online Publication Date: Nov 29, 2021
• Publication Date: Nov 29, 2021
• Deposit Date: Sep 16, 2021
• Publicly Available Date: Sep 16, 2021
• Journal: Psychology of Popular Media
• Print ISSN: 2160-4134
• Electronic ISSN: 2160-4142
• Publisher: American Psychological Association
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1037/ppm0000375
• Publisher URL: https://doi.org/10.1037/ppm0000375
• Related Public URLs: http://www.apa.org/pubs/journals/ppm/index.aspx
• Additional Information: Access Information : ©American Psychological Association, 2021. This paper is not the copy of record and may not exactly replicate the authoritative document published in the APA journal. Please do not copy or cite without author's permission. The final article is available, upon publication, at: https://doi.org/10.1037/ppm0000375