Use of smartphone apps for mobile communication and social digital pressure: A longitudinal panel study

The rapid growth in the availability of communication apps with mobile connectivity has contributed to an overabundant digital environment in the daily lives of individuals. Users of these communication apps are at risk of experiencing social digital pressure (SDP), which has been shown to be an important antecedent of smartphone addiction. These ideas, advanced by communication theorists, have not yet found clear empirical support. In this study, we analyze the actual use of communication apps among 1331 users from a nationally representative sample and relate it empirically to both SDP levels and their evolution over 18 months. Analyses of variance and latent growth modeling results showed that 1) SDP was significantly related to extensive use of communication apps and 2) among users with extensive use of communication apps, SDP increased significantly over time. Thus, smartphone use is associated with elevated SDP levels that tend to increase over time.