1. Are Adolescents Addicted to Smartphones?
- Author
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Geunyong Park and Jisun Lim
- Subjects
Computer Applications ,05 social sciences ,Perspective (graphical) ,050801 communication & media studies ,Experimental and Cognitive Psychology ,Education ,0508 media and communications ,Rational addiction ,0502 economics and business ,Developmental and Educational Psychology ,050211 marketing ,Social media ,Psychology ,Social psychology - Abstract
This empirical study shows how people use their smartphones by employing the rational addiction model of Becker and Murphy. The analysis uses micro-level panel data on the monthly usage of smartphone applications (so-called “apps”) derived from 10,337 users in South Korea, from 2012 to 2016. The authors find that smartphone users are “addicted” to mobile phone apps, in the sense that their prior usage has significantly influenced their current use. Nonetheless, people in the sample seem to use their smartphones in a forward-looking manner, adjusting consumption over time to maximize their utility. On the other hand, the study's result rejects the conventional belief that younger individuals behave more myopically than older ones. Furthermore, only the mother's smartphone use was found to generate a positive externality for her children.
- Published
- 2018
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