“You have to know how to live with it without getting to the addiction part”: British young adult experiences of smartphone overreliance and disconnectivity

Conroy, Dominic, Chadwick, Darren, Fullwood, Chris ORCID: 0000-0002-7714-6783 and Lloyd, Joanne (2023) “You have to know how to live with it without getting to the addiction part”: British young adult experiences of smartphone overreliance and disconnectivity. Psychology of Popular Media, 12 (4). pp. 471-480. doi:10.1037/ppm0000425

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Abstract

Smartphone usage offers undeniable upsides (social connectivity, increased productivity). However, the ever-expanding utilities of smartphones have prompted debate around device over-reliance, which has prompted interest in ‘digital detox’, ‘technology pushback’ and ‘disconnectivity’. We report an in-depth qualitative exploration of perceptions of smartphone over-reliance and experiences of attempting to modify usage (i.e., efforts to disconnect) among fourteen 18-30-year-old university students. Semi-structured interview transcripts were subjected to interpretative phenomenological analysis (IPA). A first theme – ‘It’s like an addiction’ – concerned the drift from valuing the convenience/productivity afforded by smartphones into feeling over-reliant on devices. Over-reliance could hinder meeting basic needs, limit time for valued pastimes and could unsettle feelings of agency. A second theme – ‘It’s difficult to maintain abstinence’ - concerned barriers to modification efforts, including fearing possible social repercussions, transferring attention to other Internet-affording devices, and self-deception. This article highlights how modifying habitual usage patterns may be challenging and encourages debate around how ‘smartphone over-reliance’ could be framed.

Item Type:	Article
Article Type:	Article
Additional Information:	This article may not exactly replicate the authoritative document published in the APA journal. It is not the copy of record.
Uncontrolled Keywords:	Smartphones; Addiction; Disconnectivity; Phone-free days; Interpretative phenomenological analysis (IPA)
Subjects:	B Philosophy. Psychology. Religion > BF Psychology
Divisions:	Schools and Research Institutes > School of Education and Science
Research Priority Areas:	Health, Life Sciences, Sport and Wellbeing
Depositing User:	Chris Fullwood
Date Deposited:	10 Nov 2022 11:21
Last Modified:	01 Nov 2023 16:56
URI:	https://eprints.glos.ac.uk/id/eprint/11750

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