Title: What influences our recall of the use of social media and smartphones? An exploratory study based on a sample of Chinese iPhone users

Authors: Gefei Li; E. Qinyu; Jialong Li; Xia Li

Addresses: Graduate School of International Culture and Communication Studies, Waseda University, 169-8050, 1-104 Totsukamachi, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo, Japan ' College of Communication and Art Design, University of Shanghai for Science and Technology, 200090, Zhuoyue Bldg 1-5 F, No.334, Jungong Road, Shanghai, China ' Graduate School of Science and Engineering, Waseda University, 169-8050, 1-104 Totsukamachi, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo, Japan ' School of History and Culture of Science, Shanghai Jiaotong University, 200240, No. 800, Dongchuan Road, Shanghai, China

Abstract: Self-estimation of technology use is commonly applied in examining people's daily behaviour on social media. However, there has been criticism that retrospective self-estimation of social media use is inaccurate. This study investigates possible factors that might influence the recalling accuracy of social media and smartphone use. By comparing self-report data of social media and overall smartphone use with screen time data from a sample of 315 Chinese iPhone users, we find that the estimated usage is only moderately correlated with the actual usage. The longer time spent on social media or smartphones, the more inaccurate the self-report data would be. Several psychological factors are evidenced to be correlated with the inaccuracy of recall: loneliness is positively correlated with the discrepancies between estimated and actual use of social media. Respondents who report a higher level of loneliness are more likely to overestimate their social media use. Life satisfaction is negatively associated with the discrepancies between estimated and reported actual use of both social media and smartphones. Respondents who report a higher level of life satisfaction are less likely to underreport their overall smartphone use.

Keywords: recalling accuracy; self-report measurement; digital technology; smartphone; social media.

DOI: 10.1504/IJMC.2024.135696

International Journal of Mobile Communications, 2024 Vol.23 No.1, pp.24 - 42

Received: 28 Nov 2020
Accepted: 10 Feb 2022
Published online: 22 Dec 2023 *

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