Roberts, J. A., Yaya, L. H., & Manolis, C. (2014).

The invisible addiction: cell-phone activities

and addiction among male and female college students. Journal of behavioral addictions,
3(4), 254-65.

This study, conducted by James A. Roberts, Luc Honore Petnji Yaya, and Chris Manolis,
examines what behaviors cause cell phone addiction. The authors also evaluate differences
between male and female cell phone usage. The authors collected data by giving 164 college
undergraduates a 10-15 minute survey about their cell phone usage. The survey was emailed to
254 marketing students at a Texas University. Through this data collection, the authors
concluded that college students spend about nine hours a day on their phones, that certain
activities on a cell-phone may cause addiction or dependence more than others, and that
dependence on cell-phones is different for males and females. More specifically, the authors
found that social activities on cell-phones were highly correlated with cell-phone addiction rather
than other activities, like listening to music or reading the Bible. The authors explain that
females view cell phones as a means of communication and fostering social connections, while
males view cell phones more as a source of entertainment. Their findings supports this
conclusion; the authors found that on average, women spend more time on their phones than
men. The authors hypothesize that social activities are more time-consuming than utilitarian or
entertainment activities, which is why women spend more time on their phones. Overall, the
authors conclude that cell-phones create a technological paradox as they provide access to
information and communication, yet they can cultivate dependency or addiction to the device.
The authors emphasize that it is important for researchers to determine where the tipping point is
for healthy, helpful cell-phone use versus an invasive, controlling addiction.
This current study was conducted by James A. Roberts, Luc Honore Petnji Yaya, and
Chris Manolis. Roberts is a professor of marketing and entrepreneurship at Baylor University
with a focus in the psychology in consumer culture and impulsive behavior. He has about 75
academic publications on materialism, compulsive buying, and self-control. Yaya is an Assistant
Professor of Economics and Business at the International University of Catalonia in Barcelona,
Spain. He has multiple academic publications, with expertise in marketing, consumer
satisfaction, behavioral operations, and strategic management. Manolis was a marketing
professor at the Williams College of Business at Xavier University who focused on consumer
behavior theory and psychometric analysis. All three are experts in the field of consumer culture
and behavior who can accurately run a study and thoroughly analyze the results. Contact
information, an email, is listed at the top of the publication. This study has broad and deep
coverage. The introduction gives a broad overview of the topic, stating that “college students
commonly view their cell-phone as an integral part of who they are, and/or as an important
extension of themselves. Present-day cell-phones are seen as critical in maintaining social
relationships and conducting the more mundane exigencies of everyday life” (Roberts, Yaya, &
Manolis). The authors then go into a deep analysis of this topic, explaining that “in regard to
CPA [cell-phone addiction] among females, the present study suggests that social motives drive
attachment to one’s cellular device. Pinterest, Instagram, and the number of calls made were all
significant predictors of CPA. An argument can be made that all of these activities are used to
develop and maintain social relationships” (Roberts et al.). The authors continue this broad and
deep coverage throughout the essay. The authors also attempt to reduce bias by showing both
sides of the issue. They reference other studies and research in the field, and they address
controversies or differences between their findings and other research. For example, they explain
that “In the present study, women reported spending an average of 600 minutes on a cell-phone
every day compared to 459 minutes for males. Significantly different from one another, these
figures are considerably higher than Junco and Cotton’s [which] estimate that college students
spend approximately seven hours (420 minutes) each day using Information and Communication
Technology (ICT). The present study provided a more comprehensive list of cell-phone activities
than tested by Junco and Cotton in measuring ICT use” (Roberts et al.). The authors also make
reference to other studies that support their conclusions, which highlights the accuracy of their
findings. For example, after explaining that their study shows that women are more attached to
and/or addicted to their phones, the authors state that “previous research suggests that women
have a more intense attachment to their cell-phones than men” and cite Geser, 2006 and
Hakoama & Hakoyama, 2011. The authors state the purpose of their study, writing that “the
primary objective of the present study was to investigate which cell-phone activities are
associated with cell-phone addiction” (Roberts et al.). The authors fulfill this purpose as they go
into detail about their study and discuss the results, concluding that “the findings seem to suggest
that a cell-phone user’s time spent on various social networking sites, like Pinterest, Instagram,
and Facebook, is a good indicator of a possible cell-phone addiction” (Roberts et al.).