Disentangling the good, the bad, and the neutral of co-present mobile phone use: A new perspective on "partner phubbing"

Abstract

Studies show that the use of smartphones in the presence of a partner may result in lower relationship quality, intimacy, and increased conflict. Such co-present phone use, often referred to as "phubbing" or "technoference," has been problematized in the literature. However, few studies have hitherto explored the possibility that using phones in each other's presence may not cause any relational harm and might even support relationship maintenance. Only recently did the critiques and theoretical frameworks begin to expand our understanding of the broader role of smartphones in dyadic interactions. In this study, we tested whether co-present phone use is always perceived as negative, or if it could also be neutral or positive. We employed quantitative methods and content coding of free responses to understand the participants' experiences and reasoning in different evaluations. We analyzed the responses of British participants (N = 383) living with their partner, who were enrolled via Prolific to take part in the study. The analyses revealed that only 15% of participants perceived their partner's phone use as negative, the majority evaluating it as neutral or positive. Most participants reported that their partner's phone use had no impact on their time together or was integrated with other activities. Those who reported a negative impact attributed it to the partner's lack of attention. The present study challenges the existing literature and highlights the need for a conceptual expansion of smartphone-related behaviors in dyads.