"You have to know how to live with it without getting to the addiction part": British young adult experiences of smartphone over-reliance and disconnectivity
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 i...
| Main Authors: | , , , |
|---|---|
| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
American Psychological Association
2022
|
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://repository.londonmet.ac.uk/7791/1/2022_popm_You-have-to.pdf |
| _version_ | 1825625729143930880 |
|---|---|
| author | Conroy, Dom Chadwick, Darren Fullwood, Christopher Lloyd, Joanne |
| author_facet | Conroy, Dom Chadwick, Darren Fullwood, Christopher Lloyd, Joanne |
| author_sort | Conroy, Dom |
| collection | LMU |
| description | 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. |
| first_indexed | 2024-07-09T04:05:17Z |
| format | Article |
| id | oai:repository.londonmet.ac.uk:7791 |
| institution | London Metropolitan University |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2025-02-19T01:15:05Z |
| publishDate | 2022 |
| publisher | American Psychological Association |
| record_format | eprints |
| spelling | oai:repository.londonmet.ac.uk:77912024-10-24T16:01:58Z https://repository.londonmet.ac.uk/7791/ "You have to know how to live with it without getting to the addiction part": British young adult experiences of smartphone over-reliance and disconnectivity Conroy, Dom Chadwick, Darren Fullwood, Christopher Lloyd, Joanne 150 Psychology 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. American Psychological Association 2022 Article PeerReviewed text en https://repository.londonmet.ac.uk/7791/1/2022_popm_You-have-to.pdf Conroy, Dom, Chadwick, Darren, Fullwood, Christopher and Lloyd, Joanne (2022) "You have to know how to live with it without getting to the addiction part": British young adult experiences of smartphone over-reliance and disconnectivity. Psychology of Popular Media, 12 (4). pp. 471-480. ISSN 2689-6575 https://psycnet.apa.org/record/2022-94763-001 10.1037/ppm0000425 10.1037/ppm0000425 |
| spellingShingle | 150 Psychology Conroy, Dom Chadwick, Darren Fullwood, Christopher Lloyd, Joanne "You have to know how to live with it without getting to the addiction part": British young adult experiences of smartphone over-reliance and disconnectivity |
| title | "You have to know how to live with it without getting to the addiction part": British young adult experiences of smartphone over-reliance and disconnectivity |
| title_full | "You have to know how to live with it without getting to the addiction part": British young adult experiences of smartphone over-reliance and disconnectivity |
| title_fullStr | "You have to know how to live with it without getting to the addiction part": British young adult experiences of smartphone over-reliance and disconnectivity |
| title_full_unstemmed | "You have to know how to live with it without getting to the addiction part": British young adult experiences of smartphone over-reliance and disconnectivity |
| title_short | "You have to know how to live with it without getting to the addiction part": British young adult experiences of smartphone over-reliance and disconnectivity |
| title_sort | you have to know how to live with it without getting to the addiction part british young adult experiences of smartphone over reliance and disconnectivity |
| topic | 150 Psychology |
| url | https://repository.londonmet.ac.uk/7791/1/2022_popm_You-have-to.pdf |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT conroydom youhavetoknowhowtolivewithitwithoutgettingtotheaddictionpartbritishyoungadultexperiencesofsmartphoneoverrelianceanddisconnectivity AT chadwickdarren youhavetoknowhowtolivewithitwithoutgettingtotheaddictionpartbritishyoungadultexperiencesofsmartphoneoverrelianceanddisconnectivity AT fullwoodchristopher youhavetoknowhowtolivewithitwithoutgettingtotheaddictionpartbritishyoungadultexperiencesofsmartphoneoverrelianceanddisconnectivity AT lloydjoanne youhavetoknowhowtolivewithitwithoutgettingtotheaddictionpartbritishyoungadultexperiencesofsmartphoneoverrelianceanddisconnectivity |