Developing a Smartphone Dependency Scale for University Students in India: A Confirmatory Factor Analytic Approach

Abstract

Smartphones are used not only for fundamental purposes like calling and messaging but also for a host of other useful functions. India surpassed the USA in terms of smartphone users in 2017 with an estimated smartphone user base of 340 million. There is lack of a comprehensive study that examines the concept of smartphone dependency in the context of youth in India. Researchers decided to consider university student as the unit of analysis for the current study, since they are the primary adopters of innovative technology like smartphones. Convenience sampling was employed to select the desired sample from the central universities. Survey instrument was developed from scales suggested by previous researchers and administered personally by the researchers. Results revealed, probably for the first time in Indian context, that hedonism and habit were relevant in the context of smartphone dependency along with social needs, social influence and convenience. Confirmatory Factor Analysis resulted in a parsimonious scale consisting of 21 items. Results are crucial for both academicians and marketers. The study findings indicate that marketers need to emphasise on features like larger memory space, more interactive interface, greater data transfer speed, easier connectivity to devices and enhanced facility to access documents.

Keywords: Smartphone, Addiction, CFA, Scale, Youth, India

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