Who's an iAddict? A Sociodemographic Exploration of Device Addiction Among American Adults

Justin J. Nelson and Christopher M. Pieper

Social Science Quarterly, 2020, vol. 101, issue 5, 2071-2084

Abstract: Objective In this study, we explore how daily Internet and social media use are related to feeling addicted to technological devices and describe the sociodemographic indicators of device addiction for U.S. adults. Methods Using a nationally representative sample of U.S. adults, we estimate a series of logistic regression analyses predicting device addiction. Results We find that social media use, rather than Internet use alone, is a stronger indicator of device addiction. Women report more addiction than men, and employment and education are both associated with increased addiction. Results describe device addiction as a felt reality for U.S. adults of all ages, while also noting particular social and demographic class characteristics for which these dilemmas may be more acute. Conclusion “iAddiction” appears to be endemic to general conditions of postscarcity and concentrated in those with particularly high situations of ontological security. Directions for constructive theory building in the sociology of technology are elaborated.

Date: 2020
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