Is availability pressure always detrimental? From availability pressure to relationship satisfaction through compulsive checking of smartphone and need satisfaction

Xueqing Li and Michael Chan

Behaviour and Information Technology, 2025, vol. 44, issue 8, 1681-1694

Abstract: The pervasive connectivity created by mobile media technology has resulted in availability pressure, an external pressure that requires individuals to be permanently online and permanently connected. Grounded in the socio-cognitive model of connection (SMC) and the Integrative Model of Mobile Media Use and Need Experiences (IM3UNE) frameworks, this study examines the pathways through which availability pressure influences relationship satisfaction. The findings reveal a dual effect of availability pressure: it can lead to compulsive checking, where the subsequent decline of online communication quality diminishes relationship satisfaction. Simultaneously, availability pressure fulfils three intrinsic needs, among which relatedness and autonomy heighten relationship satisfaction. Furthermore, by bridging these two models, this study demonstrates that need satisfaction can facilitate the process of internalising availability pressure and externalising it as compulsive checking of smartphones.

Date: 2025
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DOI: 10.1080/0144929X.2024.2369631

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