Factors Contributing to Mobile Phone Dependence

Technology, especially mobile technology has dramatically invaded the lives of people in the past few years. Among the different mobile technologies is the mobile phone. The purpose of this study was to identify factors that contribute to mobile phone dependence. A quantitative research approach involving the administration of a structured questionnaire to university students was used to collect data for the study. A trained research assistant, who personally administered the questionnaire at different university campuses, collected the data. The data were analysed in the following ways: a descriptive analysis of the sample composition was undertaken and exploratory factor analysis was undertaken to establish the factors that contribute to mobile phone dependence. Four factors, namely mobile text usage, centrality of mobile phones, socialising and mobile phone etiquette were extracted. Dependence on mobile phones may have serious consequences for students’ academic and social lives, therefore, they should strive to establish an appropriate balance between the usage of their mobile phone, their social life and their academic life. DOI: 10.5901/mjss.2014.v5n21p37