Mobile phone use and subjective well-being: An empirical study of Norwegian young adults

The digital transformation of today’s society has significantly changed the daily lives of individuals. Information and communication technologies have gained pervasive roles in everyday life. Yet, little is known about how these technologies ultimately affect us, particularly when it comes to the effect they may have on individual well-being. This thesis contributes to the gap in research on the relationships between ICTs and well-being, by focusing in particular on the topic of mobile phone use. Smartphones have become essential devices in individuals’ lives, and provide features far beyond traditional communication applications. Today, the device enables social connectivity, provides entertainment and a wide range of Internet services. Still, there is a lot of skepticism surrounding mobile phone use, related to excessive use, addiction and the possible negative implications from social media use. How does mobile phone use affect individual’s well-being? To answer this relevant question, this Master thesis presents an empirical study of mobile phone use of young adults in Norway. The empirical analysis is based on a new survey dataset that collects information about nearly 2,400 individuals in Norway. Using this novel data source, the thesis carries out a quantitative study of the relationships between mobile phone use and subjective well-being, and how such relationships differ for Norwegian young adults compared to the rest of the population. Multivariate regression results indicate that the mere amount of time an individual spends on the mobile phone has no direct association to his or her subjective well-being. However, the study finds positive associations were found between the communication features of the mobile phone, e.g. making private phone calls and sending text messages, and subjective well-being. The results for young adults differ from other demographic groups in that younger individuals spend most time on social network and communication applications available on smartphones, and this is negatively associated with their subjective well-being. On the other hand, I also find that texting is also more strongly positively associated with the well-being of this sub-group compared to the rest of the population. Based on these empirical results, the thesis concludes with a discussion of possible implications of these findings, in terms of the responsible research and innovation literature, which provides a framework and a set of recommendations on how to integrate ethical considerations in the development and use of ICTs. In short, the innovation process in ICT development should make sure that the technology’s benefits for individuals’ well-being will outweigh its disadvantages and possible risks. Hence, I argue that subjective well-being is an important dimension that can be used to assess and compare the positive and negative effects of ICTs at the individual level. Results from such assessments can be used to inform policy makers and industry actors on how to develop socially acceptable and desirable products, ensuring that the current process of digitalization will be combined with individual well-being and social welfare