ABSTRACT
Objectives: The current study aimed to assess the pattern of digital media use and screen time among students during lockdown. It also aimed to explore possible correlates of problematic digital media use and screen-time among students. Methodology: It was a prospective observational study. Students pursuing undergraduate courses in Public and Private State Universities constituted the study universe. The study used a survey approach for data collection. Besides the screen time, the mental well being of the study participants was assessed by the WHO Well-being Index and the personality was assessed using the Big Five Inventory (BFI)-10. Results: A total of 731 responses were included in the analysis. Around 93% self-reported an increase in daily screen time during COVID-19. A small but significant negative correlation between increased screen time and QoL (rs = -0.154, p < .001) was found. Increased screen time due to the use of social media for non-communication purposes was associated with poorer QoL (U = 32947.50;p = .02) and greater COVID stress (U = 32381.50;p = .01). Out of total of 202 students who shared the screenshot of the phone ST function, 145 (71.8%) underestimated their daily smartphone ST, whereas 56 (27.7%) overestimated ST. In the regression analysis the predicted odds of poor mental well-being were 1.430 times greater for subjects with higher neuroticism scores for the overall sample.
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.