Smartphone usage among students during COVID-19 pandemic in Spain, Italy and Ecuador

Abstract

The unprecedented lockdown recently occurred due the COVID-19 pandemic has irrupted globally exposing entire population and affecting all areas in our living: politics, economy, entertainment, work, markets, education. According to OECD data young people felt lonelier and sadder during this period increasing their exposure to technology and the consumption of digital media. In this regard the aim of the research presented is study and describe the usage of digital media among university students during the COVID-19 lockdown. A comparative study between Spain, Italy and Ecuador focuses on the usage of smartphones and content consumption during March-May 2020. Data gathering was made with the design of a questionnaire applied to a sample of 3oo undergraduate students of Journalism, Communication and Education from three public universities. Quantitative methodology was used for this descriptive-comparative study among three different countries. Results obtained show high access to technological equipment in general, with specific increase in smartphones and laptops usage being the two devices that have experienced a greater increase in use. Regarding the consumption of information, informative contents on the COVID-19, news data about the virus, as well as the statistics of progress of the contagions occupy first place. It is worth mentioning that, in the opinion of the young people surveyed, they have been able to recognize fake news and have avoided its spread, thus understanding the notion of Infodemic, established by the World Health Organization. Conclusions allow us saying that online news channels and media were the most consumed, as were social networks, which grew among youngest as channels of communication, and verified consumption of news on official channels and government spokespersons.