THE SMARTPHONE AS PHYSICAL OBJECT: Advancing The Debate on Problematic Smartphone Use

The almost all-embracing integration of smartphones into everyday life has evoked fears about users’ overdependence on their smartphones and problematic usage patterns. Several studies have reported alarmingly high prevalence rates of problematic usage patterns or smartphone addiction. We argue that these prevalence rates are overstated due to the portrayal of regular smartphone use as problematic and the misattribution of the smartphone as the sole cause of psychological illness. We identify the similarity with previous discussions, the conceptual chaos within the field of problematic smartphone use, and the missing discussion of context as problems in the debate around problematic smartphone use. To advance the debate, we provide a classification of problematic use concepts ranging from uses with severe symptoms and few affected individuals to less severe symptoms and higher prevalence rates (addiction, nomophobia, problematic use, attachment, habit). Finally, we argue that future research should focus on the smartphone’s nature as a physical object which can be touched and seen and which can create communication boundaries in order to provide insights that focus on the unique characteristics of the smartphone.