Phubbed and turned to my phone, but still disconnected: The psychological consequences of being phubbed and coping through mobile use

New media technologies have transformed social interactions, offering connectivity but also drawbacks such as phubbing – the act of ignoring others by using mobile phones during face-to-face interactions. This study examines the psychological consequences of being phubbed and how individuals cope through mobile use based on the temporal need-threat model. A lab experiment was conducted where participants interacted with partners and were phubbed. Results showed that phubbed individuals felt socially excluded, experienced threats to fundamental needs, and reported lower mood than those in the no-phubbing condition. Phubbing also led to less favorable attitudes toward the partners and lower interaction intention. Analysis of mobile use during a break after phubbing revealed no significant differences in social versus non-social mobile use. Interestingly, individuals with high social mobile use reported increased need threats. These findings highlight the impact of phubbing and its implications for need satisfaction and social interactions in the digital age.