My Smartphone Is an Extension of Myself - A Holistic Qualitative Exploration of the Impact of Using a Smartphone

Aug 31, 2026

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Smartphones increasingly shape everyday leisure and work by enabling constant access to information, entertainment, and communication. The study investigates how device use intertwines with users’ identities and relationship patterns, addressing tensions between motivational and addiction-oriented accounts of smartphone behavior. Using a qualitative focus group approach (n=21) and constructivist grounded theory, findings show that smartphones act as an extension of the self through identity externalization, connectivity, and mediated intimacy, while perceptions of user agency may conflict with evidence of compulsive processes. Implications highlight risks for interventions targeting problematic use.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryGeneral

FormatDOCX

Pages46

Reading Time16 min

AccessFree to download

Abstract

Background and Rationale

Study Aim and Method

Results and Key Themes

Implications and Future Research

“My Smartphone Is an Extension of Myself”: A Holistic Qualitative Exploration of the Impact of Using a Smartphone Lydia J. Harkin and Daria Kuss Department of Psychology, Nottingham Trent University Author Note HYPERLINK "https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0511-5934" \h Lydia J. Harkin HYPERLINK "https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0511-5934" https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0511-5934 HYPERLINK "https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8917-782X" \h Daria Kuss HYPERLINK "https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8917-782X" https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8917-782X We have no conflicts of interest to disclose. We thank Katrin Svelko and Suzie Whalley for their contribution to transcribing and analyzing the research data. We would also like to thank Nottingham Trent University, the British Academy, and the Leverhulme Trust for funding this research. Correspondence concerning this article should be addressed to Lydia J. Harkin, Department of Psychology, Nottingham Trent University, Chaucer Building, Burton Street, Nottingham NG1 4FQ, United Kingdom. Email: HYPERLINK "mailto:Lydia.harkin02@institution.edu" Lydia.harkin02@institution.edu Abstract A total of 6 billion people worldwide will use smartphones in 2020 (Jonsson et al., 2017). The devices pose convenient solutions for leisure and work-related activities (Kuss, 2017). However, psychometric and addiction-based guidelines increasingly align smartphone overuse with technological addictions (Billieux et al., 2015). A more holistic exploration of smartphone use might help to highlight how everyday use interacts with or underpins more addictive forms of behaviors. This study aimed to explore in-depth experiences of smartphone use to understand from a holistic perspective what the perceptions and experiences of the devices are to smartphone users using a qualitative focus group study (n = 21; 11 women). Data were analyzed using the constructivist grounded theory. Results indicated that smartphones were entwined with users’ lives, as they formed an extension of the self. Subcategories highlighted that the devices hold value by externalizing identity, providing constant connectivity, mediating intimacy, authenticating experiences, and forfeiting agency. In conclusion, the usability of the smartphone may create an interactive relationship with the sense of self. Close relationships with smartphones appear to shape interpersonal relationships. In addition, participants held an expectation that the user has agency over their actions, which is at odds with evidence of nonautonomous, compulsive behaviors. Regarding the study’s public significance, this false perception of control may pose challenges for interventions that aim to reduce problematic smartphone use. Further research should contrast user perceptions using real-time smartphone data to understand the degree of true insight users have over their own behaviors. Keywords: interpersonal communication, social media, smartphone, social identity, qualitative “My Smartphone Is an Extension of Myself”: A Holistic Qualitative Exploration of the Impact of Using a Smartphone In 2020, around 6.1 billion people will be smartphone users (Jonsson et al., 2017). In North America, Great Britain, and Canada, 77%, 70%, and 66% of the adult population use smartphones, respectively (Canadian Radio-Television and Telecommunications Commission, 2016; Office for National Statistics, 2017a; Pew Research Center, 2017). Technology advances have prompted an explosive growth in the functionality of mobile phones. By 2016, smartphones and tablets had become the primary technology used to access the internet (StatCounter Global Stats, 2016). Smartphone users have become regular online consumers of news, media, shopping, and social networking through their devices (Office for National Statistics, 2017b). British Telecommunications regulators have called the United Kingdom a “smartphone society” (Ofcom, 2017). Thus, there is increasing evidence that smartphones may have a profound impa

FAQs

What does the study conclude about smartphones and users’ sense of self?

Smartphones are portrayed as intertwined with users’ lives, functioning as an extension of the self through identity externalization and ongoing connectivity. The device’s role also appears to shape intimacy and interpersonal dynamics.

How was the research conducted in the study?

The study used a qualitative focus group design with 21 participants. Data were analyzed using constructivist grounded theory to develop themes from participants’ experiences.

Why do the authors discuss perceived user agency in relation to problematic smartphone use?

Participants expected users to control their own actions, but this expectation conflicts with evidence suggesting nonautonomous, compulsive behaviors. The mismatch could hinder interventions aimed at reducing problematic use.

Aug 31, 2026

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