BEHAVIORAL ANTECEDENTS OF NOMOPHOBIA: INSIGHTS FROM A STUDY ON SMARTPHONE USERS IN TURKEY

The aim of this study is to determine individuals' levels of nomophobia and to examine the relationship between nomophobia and demographic variables. The research targets a general population, encompassing participants from different age groups, genders, educational backgrounds, and socioeconomic statuses. Data were collected through surveys administered to participants from Istanbul. The collected data were analyzed using the SMART PLS 3.0 program. The findings revealed that among the sampled smartphone users, social usage had no positive impact on utilitarian motivation and hedonic motivation, while social motivation positively influenced social usage. It was inferred that utilitarian motivation and social motivation positively affected functional usage, whereas hedonic motivation did not. Functional usage was associated with lower levels of nomophobia, while social usage did not have a significant impact on nomophobia. The analysis also revealed that female participants exhibited higher levels of nomophobia compared to males, that nomophobia was more prevalent among younger individuals, and that nomophobia levels increased with daily smartphone usage.