Exploring digital natives' mobile addiction syndrome in Taiwan: psychological issues and beyond
Information Technology & People
ISSN: 0959-3845
Article publication date: 7 July 2022
Issue publication date: 11 April 2023
Abstract
Purpose
This study seeks to explore digital natives' mobile usage behaviors and, in turn, develop an analytic framework that helps articulate the underlying components of mobile addiction syndrome (MAS), its severity levels and mobile usage purposes.
Design/methodology/approach
The investigation adopts a survey method and a case study. The results of the former are based on 411 random classroom observations and 205 questionnaire responses, and the insights of the latter are derived from 24 interviews and daily observations.
Findings
The findings validate five distinctive signs that constitute MAS and their significant correlations with each of the Big Five personality traits. Classroom observations confirm the prevalence of addiction tendency among digital natives in the research context. Seven levels of MAS and six different mobile usage purposes further manifest themselves from case analysis. There appears to be a sharp contrast between the addicted and non-addicted groups in their mobile purposes and behavioral patterns. Additionally, family relationships seem influential in shaping non-addictive mobile usage behaviors.
Research limitations/implications
Psychological perspectives on MAS may be important but insufficient. Empirical investigation on a global scale, especially with distinctive cross-cultural comparisons, will be highly encouraged. How MAS evolves over time should also serve as future research interests.
Practical implications
Teaching pedagogy of college education might need certain adjustments to intrigue digital natives' learning interests. Future managers might also need to adopt better performance measurements for digital natives who barely separate work from personal matters in their mobile devices.
Social implications
Parents and healthcare institutions may need to develop response mechanism to tackle this global issue at home and in society. The long-term effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on MAS might also deserve global attention.
Originality/value
The analytic framework developed provides an original mechanism that can be valuable in identifying MAS severity and associated behavioral patterns.
Keywords
Acknowledgements
This study is supported by the Ministry of Science and Technology, Taiwan [Grant number: MOST 108-2410-H-035-054-MY2]. The author is also grateful for reviewers' constructive comments and participants' support.
Citation
Chen, W. (2023), "Exploring digital natives' mobile addiction syndrome in Taiwan: psychological issues and beyond", Information Technology & People, Vol. 36 No. 3, pp. 1326-1355. https://doi.org/10.1108/ITP-08-2021-0633
Publisher
:Emerald Publishing Limited
Copyright © 2022, Emerald Publishing Limited