The overlooked role of social norms in problematic smartphone usage

Authors

  • Tasnim Farzana Louisiana State University of Alexandria
  • Sandra Gilliland Ouachita Baptist University
  • Mark LaCour University of Louisiana at Lafayette

Keywords:

social norms, problematic smartphone usage, social media

Abstract

Objective: Smartphones have provided many benefits for society, but these benefits have come at some cost. Researchers have identified a number of problematic smartphone usage (PSU) behaviors associated with greater impulsiveness and excessive reassurance seeking, particularly among younger people, women, and minoritized groups. Here, we sought to extend this research by (1) examining whether these findings replicate in slightly older demographic groups, (2) determine whether perceived social norms are a substantial driver of PSU, and (3) confirm that using smartphones specifically for social media is associated with PSU. Method: We conducted an online survey on 183 participants recruited through Prolific. The participants in the present study were significantly older (by about 9 years) compared to a previous study. Results: Previous findings were replicated on our older sample. Perceived social norms regarding smartphone use had a large association with PSU. We found that using one’s smartphone primarily for TikTok (rather than social media or streaming more generally) was associated with greater PSU. We found no evidence that PSU is linked with depression. Nor did we find evidence that the relationship between age and PSU is mediated by age-related decreases in impulse control, as previous researchers had theorized.

Author Biographies

Tasnim Farzana, Louisiana State University of Alexandria

Department of Psychology, Louisiana State University of Alexandria, LA

Sandra Gilliland, Ouachita Baptist University

Department of Counseling, Ouachita Baptist University, Arkadelphia, AR

Mark LaCour, University of Louisiana at Lafayette

Department of Psychology, University of Louisiana at Lafayette

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Published

2023-12-31

Issue

Vol. 12 No. 2 (2023): Journal of Social Media in Society

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Articles

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