Effects of materialism on problematic smartphone dependency among adolescents: The role of gender and gratifications

Elodie Gentina and Frantz Rowe

International Journal of Information Management, 2020, vol. 54, issue C

Abstract: We study youth materialism as an antecedent of problematic smartphone dependency among adolescents. Based on Uses and Gratifications theory and the I-PACE framework, we consider process- and social-oriented smartphones as mediators in the relationship between youth materialism and problematic smartphone dependency. Using data from 463 French late adolescents (mean 16.8 years; 58 % female), known as digital natives, we demonstrate that paths differ depending on gender. For girls, youth materialism is positively related to problematic smartphone dependency via social-oriented smartphone use, whereas this relationship is nonsignificant for boys. Moreover, youth materialism is positively related to problematic smartphone dependency via process-oriented smartphone use for both boys and girls, but the relationship is stronger for boys than for girls. We discuss the implications of these results for business and social policies.

Keywords: Digital natives adolescents; Youth materialism; Problematic smartphone dependency; Social-oriented smartphone use; Gender effect; Gratifications; Process-oriented smartphone use (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2020
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Citations: View citations in EconPapers (3)

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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:eee:ininma:v:54:y:2020:i:c:s0268401219315051

DOI: 10.1016/j.ijinfomgt.2020.102134

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