Smartphone addiction: psychological and social factors predict the use and abuse of a social mobile application

As smartphones have been revealed as hosts for addictive behaviors, many studies have focused on the relationship between psychological factors and the generalized use of smartphones without considering the wide range of activities involved. By collecting data from a large sample, this study investigated the relative contribution of both psychological and social factors in predicting different usage levels of the social mobile application (app) LINE, which is very popular in Asia. The results indicated that subjective norms and social identity predicted positively for individuals in the addictive use cluster, while self-esteem and social skills predicted negatively. The predictive power of self-esteem and life satisfaction was positive for the heavy use of LINE with no serious problems while that of subjective norms was negative. No single factor was associative with the ordinary use. These results highlight that people deficient in self-esteem and social skills, but eager to obtain others' approval and a sense of belonging, are more inclined to develop an addiction to this app. Those who use LINE heavily with no serious problems are highly satisfied with life; they do not mind acting in accordance with others' expectations, because they have high self-esteem. Ordinary users are not influenced psychologically or socially. This research not only underscores the importance of considering a specific form of application to understand the smartphone addiction, but also advances the knowledge of social contributors in this issue.