Smartphone usage patterns and social capital among university students: The moderating effect of sociability

Abstract

This study investigates the correlation between smartphone usage patterns and social capital among Chinese college students, while also examining the moderating effect of sociability. We conducted a cross-sectional survey in Jiangsu Province, China, sampling 380 college students attending three four-year universities as respondents. After excluding invalid questionnaires, final sample size of 342 participants (108 males and 234 females, average age 20 years) for analysis. To analyze mobile phone usage patterns, the LCA model was utilized, and a multiple regression analysis was conducted to determine the impact of various smartphone usage patterns on college students' social capital. Additionally, the study explores how sociability moderates this relationship. The study revealed that college students' mobile phone usage can be classified into five distinct patterns based on their behavior: low entertainment usage, balanced low-frequency usage, social and convenience-centric usage, balanced high-frequency usage, and entertainment and convenience-centric usage. The group with balanced high-frequency usage had the highest social capital score, followed by the social and convenience-centric usage group, and the entertainment and convenience-centric usage group. Conversely, the groups with balanced low-frequency usage and low entertainment usage had lower social capital scores, with no significant difference between them. social interaction ability had a positive moderating function in the association between social and convenience-centric and balanced high-frequency usage and social capital levels. This research sheds light on the impact of smartphone usage on social interactions and the development of social capital among college students in China.