The abstract summarizes a study that explored the usage and gratification sought from

smartphone usage among millennials in Israel. The study utilized in-depth interviews and a
grounded theory approach to analyze the reflections of undergraduate students on the
roles of smartphones in their lives. The study found that participants had a strong
attachment to their smartphones, which they described in terms of love and hate. The
study also identified addictive elements of smartphone usage, the influence of external
pressures to use smartphones, the varied usefulness that smartphones serve in
participants' lives, and the fear of missing out as an explanation for their extensive use of
smartphones. Overall, the study suggests that smartphones have become an indispensable
medium among young adults, used due to practical as well as emotional reasons.

The article highlights the scholarly interest in the usage of mobile phones and
smartphones and the roles they play in users' lives, with a focus on Israel, where mobile
phone usage is of great importance and considered unique. The study employs the "uses
and gratifications" approach to examine the usage patterns of smartphones among Israeli
young adults, particularly millennials college students. The study is based on 60 in-depth
interviews, exploring participants' usage of and gratification sought from smartphone
usage, as well as personal and social implications associated with their adoption of
smartphones.

Mobile Phones and Smartphones in Society

Mobile phones and smartphones have become an integral part of everyday life and have
transformed traditional social interactions. Researchers have studied various aspects of
mobile phone use, such as motivations for use, actual use practices, psychological and
sociological consequences of use, and the blurring of boundaries between home and work.
As smartphones have penetrated mobile media markets worldwide, scholars have shifted
their research attention toward this new phenomenon. Smartphones enable various
activities, and their various features might reshape the conceptualization of convergence.
Rapid changes in both the media and their resulting audience potential emphasize the
necessity of ongoing research into technology acceptance and smartphone usage. Mobile
media, in general, and smartphones, in particular, integrate many situational variables in a
manner that cannot separate the medium and the content from users and environments.
Mobile Phones and Smartphones in Israel

The use of mobile phones and smartphones in Israel has been extensively studied due to
the country's unique security atmosphere, strong family bonds, obsession with news
consumption, and fascination with technological innovations. Israel's close-knit social
networks, history of adopting communication technologies, and special security needs due
to its political situation contribute to high rates of mobile phone adaptation and extensive
uses. Mobile phones enable communication anytime and anywhere, making them
particularly important in Israeli society.

The concept of technology or media affordance refers to how technology or a medium

affords uses to individuals. The term "affordance" was introduced by Gibson, referring to
the potential for action attributed to objects in the world. Affordances can shape and be
shaped by human practices in interaction with them. Scholars have suggested the need to
implement the affordance perspective to understand different social media platforms and
emphasize the importance of contexts and non-Western perspectives. Scholars have also
developed the concept of "imagined affordance" to address the affordances that
materialize when users' perceptions, attitudes, and expectations are met. Studies should
capture affordances variability and situate them in sociostructural patterns.

The uses and gratifications approach is a user-centered framework that explores how
audiences interact with media and identifies their primary needs fulfilled by new media.
This approach has been used to study various aspects of media usage, including
smartphones and social media. The audience is considered active and goal-oriented in its
media consumption, and research efforts have been made to identify the sources of social
and psychological needs that create expectations of media. Five generic clusters of needs
that media can fulfill include cognitive, affective, personal integrative, social integrative,
and diversion needs. While there are several alternative clusters suggested in some studies,
most still utilize the earlier suggestions of Katz et al. (1973).

The Uses and Gratifications approach has received criticism for its reliance on self-report
questionnaires, fixed lists of statements for representing different needs, lack of clarity of
its variables, and the assumption of active audiences and their ability to self-report on their
motivations and media use. Critics have also questioned the discreteness between
components such as needs, motives, and behaviors, and the theory's lack of theoretical
explanations and generality. The theory has been criticized for overemphasizing individual
needs and ignoring ritualized media consumption. Moreover, critics argue that the theory
does not explain why people prefer a specific medium and how specific media meet
certain gratifications. The categorization of needs, uses, and gratifications has been
criticized for ignoring both internal psychological factors and exogenous environmental
factors. Responding to this criticism, the concepts of gratification sought and obtained
have been proposed. To realize the Uses and Gratifications theory, a general model has
been suggested that examines the broad process and experiences involved in the
utilization of a medium within a given context. This model includes antecedents, user
environment, expectations, and user activities and outcomes.

The study conducted 60 in-depth interviews with Israeli undergraduate students in the
Communications Department to explore their perceptions of smartphone usage and
personal experiences with smartphones. The interviews were conducted in a conversational
style, with general questions asked and the interviewees leading the conversation. The
interviews were transcribed and thematically analyzed using grounded theory
methodology. The researchers provided a brief introduction on ethical issues and stressed
the potential benefits of a preliminary acquaintance between the researcher and the
research participants. The names that appear in the quotes are pseudonyms.