Exploring the smartphone usage among Malaysian youth: a theoretical framework
List of Authors
  • Siew Pei Hwa , Wee Kim Peck

Keyword
  • Smartphone usage, theoretical framework, Malaysian youth

Abstract
  • Today, smartphones have increasingly become indispensable tools in everyday life and becoming mobile devices that everyone can easily approach. Since it is inexpensive to own a smartphone, the number of people using the smartphones is surging dramatically. Park and Park (2014) also claimed that smartphones are not only for the adults, but also available and easily accessible to young children. Our plan therefore was to undertake a survey research to explore the smartphone usage among Malaysian youth aged 11 to 18 years old and its impact on youth’s social life, especially on the social interaction and familial relationship. A theoretical framework with three major theoretical perspectives namely Uses and Gratifications Theory, Actor Network Theory, and Media Dependency Theory was constructed. The framework also encompasses several research areas such as technological communication and smartphone usage patterns, factors affecting smartphone purchase, reasons of smartphone usage, smartphone usage behavioural problems, youth who used technological communication more frequently could exhibit social skill deficits, and manifest higher levels of social anxiety, etc. The theoretical framework has provided grounding base for the research.

Reference
  • 1. Betoncu, O., & Ozdamli, F. (2019). The Disease of 21st Century: Digital Disease. TEM Journal, 8(2), 598-603, ISSN 2217-8309, https://doi.org/10.18421/TEM82-37. 2. Böhmer, M., & Krüger, A. (2013). A Study on Icon Arrangement by Smartphone Users. In Proceedings of CHI 2013 Conference on Human Factors in Computing (pp. 2137-2146). New York: Association for Computing Machinery. 3. Bolle, C. L. (2014). Who is A Smartphone Addict? The Impact of Personal Factors and Type of Usage on Smartphone Addiction in A Dutch Population. (Unplublished master’s thesis), University of Twente, Enschede, Netherlands. 4. Brown, C. (2013). Are We Becoming More Socially Awkward? An Analysis of the Relationship between Technological Communication Use and Social Skills in College Students. (Unpublished Bachelor Thesis). Connecticut College, New London. 5. Campbell, M. (2005). The Impact of the Mobile Phone on Young People’s Social Life. In C. Bailey & K. Barnett (Eds.) Social Change in the 21st Century: Conference Proceedings (pp. 1-14). Brisbane: Queensland University of Technology (QUT). 6. Cha, S. -S., & Seo, B. -K. (2018). Smartphone Use and Smartphone Addiction in Middle School Students in Korea: Prevalence, Social Networking Service, And Game Use. Health Psychology Open. (2018), 5(1), 1-15. https://doi.org/10.1177/2055102918755046 7. Chen, Y. (2006). Social Phenomena of Smartphone Use: An Exploratory Study in Taiwanese College Students. Information Society, 11, 219-244. 8. Crawford, C. S. (2005). Actor Network Theory. In G. Ritzer (Ed.). Encyclopedia of social theory (pp.1-3). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications, Inc. 9. Department of Statistics Malaysia. (2016). ICT Use and Access by Individuals and Households Survey Report, Malaysia, 2015. Retrieved from https://www.dosm.gov.my 10. Drago, E. (2015). The Effect of Technology on Face-to-Face Communication. The Elon Journal of Undergraduate Research in Communications, 6(1), 13-19. 11. Freeman, C., & Tranter, P. (2011). Children and their Urban Environment: Changing Worlds. London ; Washington, DC: Earthscan. 12. Gamble, T. K., & Gamble, M. W. (2014). Interpersonal Communication: Building Connections Together. Thousand Oaks, California: SAGE Publications Inc. 13. Gapsiso, N. D., & Wilson, J. (2015). The Impact of the Internet on Teenagers’ Face-to-Face Communication. Journal of Studies in Social Sciences, 13(2), 202-220. https://doi.org/10.1089/cpb.2006.9936 14. Ghosh, S. (2015, February 5). Think you suffer from FOMO? Log out of Facebook right now. Hindustan Times. Retrieved from https://www.hindustantimes.com/health-and-fitness/think-you-suffer-from-fomo-log-out-of-facebook-right-now/story-aw70UuqyocFcfpX7ppguYN.html 15. Gunter, B. (2019). Children and Mobile Phones: Adoption, Use, Impact, and Control (1st ed.). Bingley, U.K.: Emerald Publishing Limited. 16. Hafoush, N. (2012). Chapter 10: The Impact of Mobility on Social and Political Movement. In B. L. Ciaramitaro (Eds.). Mobile Technology Consumption: Opportunities and Challenges (pp.c38-167). Hershey, Pennsylvania: Information Science References. 17. Hanke, S. (2018, September 13). How Social Media Affects Our Ability to Communicate: Five Steps to Gaining Control. Thrive Global. Retrieved from https://thriveglobal.com/stories/how-social-media-affects-our-ability-to-communicate/ 18. Ishii, K. (2011). Examining the Adverse Effects of Mobile Phone Use among Japanese Adolescents. Keio Communication Review, 33, 69-83. 19. Latour, B. (2005). Reassembling the Social: An Introduction to Actor-Network-Theory. New York: Oxford University Press Inc.. 20. Lee, Y.-K., Chang, C.-T., Lin, Y., & Cheng, Z.-H. (2014). The Dark Side of Smartphone Usage: Psychological Traits, Compulsive Behavior and Technostress. Computers in Human Behavior, 31, 373-383. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chb.2013.10.047 21. Ling, P. L. (2015). Malaysian Youngsters Are More Affected by Internet Addiction than You Think. Vulcan Post. Retrieved from https://vulcanpost.com/26961/internet-addiction-harming-youngsters-malaysia/ 22. Litttlejohn, S. W., Foss, K. A., & Oetzel, J. G. (2017). Theories of Human Communication (11th ed.). Long Grove, Illinois: Wavelands, Press, Inc. 23. Lombardo, C., Zakus, D., & Skinner, H. (2002). Youth Social Action: Building A Global Latticework through Information and Communication Technologies. Health Promotion International, 17(4), 363-371. 24. Machmud, K. (2018). The Smartphone Use in Indonesian Schools: The High School Students’ Perspectives. Journal of Arts & Humanities, 7(3), 33-40. https://doi.org/10.18533/journal.v7i3.1354 25. Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission. (2015). Hand Phone Users Survey 2014. Cyberjaya: Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission. Retrieved from https://www.mcmc.gov.my/skmmgovmy/media/General/pdf/MCMC-Hand-Phone-User19112015.pdf 26. Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission. 2017. Hand phone users survey 2017. Cyberjaya: Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission. Retrieved from https://www.mcmc.gov.my/skmmgovmy/media/General/pdf/HPUS2017.pdf 27. Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission. (2018). Hand Phone Users Survey 2018. Cyberjaya: Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission. Retrieved from https://www.mcmc.gov.my/skmmgovmy/media/General/pdf/ HPUS2018.pdf 28. Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission. (2016). Internet Users Survey 2016. Cyberjaya: Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission. Retrieved from https://www.mcmc.gov.my/skmmgovmy/media/General/pdf/IUS2016.pdf 29. Malik Tariq Mahmood, H. A., & Abdul Siraj, S. (2013). Use of Mobile Communication and its Affect on Social Capital of College Going Teenage. IMPACT: International Journal of Research in Humanities, Arts and Literature, 1(3), 45-60. 30. Matanhelia, P. (2010). Smartphone Use by Young Adults in India: A Case Study. (Unpublished doctoral dissertation), University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland. 31. Miakotko, L. (2017). The Impact of Smartphones and Mobile Devices on Human Health and Life. Retrieved from http://www.nyu.edu/classes/keefer/waoe/miakotkol.pdf 32. Miller, R. C. (2015). The Smartphone and You: Human Interaction and Integration with Mobile Technology. (Unpublished doctoral dissertation). Georgia State University, Atlanta, Georgia. 33. North, D., Johnston, K., & Ophoff, J. (2014). The Use of Smartphones by South African University Students. Issues in Informing Science and Information Technology, 11, 115-138. 34. Ogutu, C. A., Mariita, A., Nyakerario, E. F., Wanekeya, R., & Akoth, J. E. (2014). Mobile Phone Usage among University Students in Kenya: A Case Study of the University of Nairobi. (Unpublished bachelor’s thesis), University of Nairobi. 35. Park, C., & Park, Y. R. (2014). The Conceptual Model on Smart Phone Addiction among Early Childhood. International Journal of Social Science and Humanity, 4(2), 147-150. https://doi.org/10.7763/IJSSH.2014.V4.336 36. Reid, D. J., & Reid, F. J. M. (2007). Text or Talk? Social Anxiety, Loneliness, and Divergent Preferences for Cell Phone Use. Cyberpsychology & Behaviour, 10(3), 424-35. 37. Shoemaker, N. (2015). No Mobile Phone Phobia = ‘Nomophobia’. Retrieved from http://bigthink.com/ideafeed/trying-to-measure-peoples-no-mobile-phone-phobia 38. Srivastava, L. (2005). Mobile Phones and the Evolution of Social Behaviour. Behaviour & Information Technology, 24(2), 111-129. https://doi.org/10.1080/01449290512331321910 39. Statista. (2017). Daily Internet Usage Rate in Malaysia in 2016, by Age Group. Retrieved from https://www.statista.com/statistics/348017/ daily-internet-usage-age-group-malaysia/ 40. Suresh, K. (2003). Chapter 2: Theories Of Communication. Retrieved from https://www.peoi.org/Courses/Coursesen/mass/fram2.html 41. Takahashi, T. (2008). Japanese Young People , Media, People and Everyday Life: Towards the Internationalizing of Media Studies. In K. Drotner & S. Livingstone (Eds.). The International Handbook of Children, Media and Culture (pp. 413-430). Thousand Oaks, California: SAGE Publications Inc. 42. Thompson, N. (2019). Effective Communication: A Guide for the People Professions (3rd ed.). London: Red Globe Press. 43. Turkle, S. (2012). Alone Together: Why We Expect More from Technology and Less from Each Other. New York: Basic Books. 44. Uys, W., Mia, A., jansen, G. J., Van Der Schyff, H., Josias, M. A., et al. (2012). Smartphone Application Usage amongst Students at a South African University. In P. Cunningham & M. Cunningham (Eds.). IST-Africa 2012 Conference Proceedings. 45. Venter, E. (2019). Challenges for Meaningful Interpersonal Communication in A Digital Era. HTS Teologiese Studies/Theological Studies 75(1), 1-6. https://doi.org/10.4102/hts.v75i1.5339