Abstract
Young adults spend most of their leisure time in the company of their smartphones. Drawing on the theory of digital well-being and on the concept of psychological sustainability, our aim is to investigate the relationship between digitalization-dominated leisure-time consumption to identify the aggregated roles of smartphones. We suggest that smartphones play different roles in young adults’ daily life. To test our predictions, we used a qualitative method, a two-day time-use diary with structured interviews; two sample groups were recruited for data gathering. The results of the content analysis and of the qualitative sentiment analysis show that mobile devices have a marked agenda-setter function, along with the functions of ‘separator’ and ‘enabler’. The use of smartphones leads to idleness and perceived timelessness while staying physically immobile. Results expand our knowledge on the aggregated role of smartphones in young adults’ activities. Wider society can benefit from the research findings, stimulating young adults to acknowledge the aggregated roles and functions of their smartphones and to develop their digital well-being.
Highlights
Alarm clock, news, greetings, schedule, meetings, weather forecast, shopping: the list of smartphone uses could go on
In line with Diener [35], Veenhoven [36], and Vandel Abeele’s theory [15] of well-being, in the second phase of our research, we examined how satisfied respondents were with their time use and what positive and negative feelings they had about smartphone use during their leisure time
Using a qualitative research method and stimulating participants to reflect on their own experiences and feelings related to their leisure time consumptions, we found that smartphones are the digital extensions of young adults’ bodies but are perceived as companions, enablers or separators
Summary
News, greetings, schedule, meetings, weather forecast, shopping: the list of smartphone uses could go on. What roles do smartphones exactly play in young adults’ leisure-time activities? Research has shown that young adults’ leisure practices, experiences and forms are mostly digitalized and often displayed on digital platforms [3]. Physical activities such as sports are monitored by wearable devices in order to self-track and share achievements with audiences on social media platforms [4]. The many disadvantages related to one of the unwanted effects of digitalization, namely ubiquity and the subsequent continuous online presence can be experienced on both individual and social levels [10,11]. Medical psychologists, and ecologists alike have been drawing attention to the negative effects of causes clearly linked to humanity moving away from the natural environment
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Free) 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call
