What Does the Mobile Phone Mean to Consumers? A Qualitative Study

Abstract

Very few studies have looked what smartphones represent to users. However, most of those studies only focused on the aspect of dependency and on young people (18 – 24) and very few researches have looked at adults. Hence, the purpose of this research is to determine what the mobile phone represents to adult users living in developed countries. To achieve this, this study will be based upon the symbolic representation theory. Results so far have shown that users tend to view their smartphone as a useful tool to communicate with friends. However, some have mentioned that their smartphone hindered their friendships.