Can cat videos harm your relationships? Hedonic and utilitarian content as technological antecedents of phubbing

Abstract

This paper investigates how hedonic and utilitarian content consumption and the habitual use of social media, specifically Facebook, affect phubbing behavior. The research model was tested using a cross-sectional survey (N = 220) conducted via Prolific. The participants were chosen from among those who use Facebook as their most frequent social media service on their smartphones. The results showed that utilitarian content has a more prominent effect on phubbing than hedonic content. Furthermore, for females, hedonic content positively affects phubbing when it is consumed habitually, and the effect of habitual use on phubbing differs significantly between males and females. These results suggest that technological affordances can induce phubbing behavior differently between males and females and that social media providers should consider the customization of displayed content in a way that will not induce phubbing behavior. The results also provide implications for social contexts and different relationships. Accordingly, the consumption of hedonic and utilitarian social media content should be regulated (e.g., by parents, schools), and education regarding content consumption should be provided. This study contributes to phubbing research by providing a technological perspective on its antecedents.