Correlation between Husband and Wife Smartphone Use Time

Abstract

Smartphones are representative multimedia devices capable of various functions that have emerged due to the development of information communication technologies (ICTs). The popularization of smartphones has changed the way ICTs media is used; consequnetly, it is expected that smartphones will influence family life by changing family communications and time use. However, there is a gap between the empirical research on ICTs media and family. This study explores any correlations in the amount of time spent on smartphones between a husband and wife. We marged 1,444 married couples’ media diaries from the 8th Korean Media Panel Survey (2017) to analyze the average amount of time spent on communications and leisure·shopping using smartphones. The results show that husbands’ time use for communication has increased similarly to wives’ time use. In addition, husbands’ time use for leisure and shopping was positively related to wives’ time spent on communications and leisure·shopping. The findings show that the use of smartphones is interrelated within the family and suggested that a family systems approach is needed in ICTs media research. Future studies will provide a deeper understanding of the impact of ICTs media and how families are using a variety of ICTs media devices such as smartphones.