College Students, Experiences on Smart Phone Technology Usage: A Qualitative Content Analysis Study

(ProQuest: . denotes non-US-ASCII text omitted.)In the present era, the information and communication technologies have become essential tools in the individual's life (Moghadas, Lahsaeizadeh, & Ghafarinasab, 2008; Velayati, 2015). During the last 10 years, the number and types of mass communication tools have developed quickly. The cell phone, as one of the most extensive mass communication tools in the field of communication technologies, has been affected by such a progress. In comparison with the past, the current generation of children, adolescents, and young people have access to the different types of mass communication tools such as cell phones, computers, video games, and the internet (Baysal, Sahenk, & Hazneci, 2010). Young people are mainly influenced significantly by the new communication and information technology. The incorporation of the cell phone into young people's lives in recent years has become a global phenomenon and is transformed from a technology tool to a social media (Rajeev & Jobilal, 2015). In a quantitative study on college students of two colleges of the University of Perpetual Help-Calamba, 85% smartphone student-users borders between super users to mobile addict (Alson & Misagal, 2016). Based on findings of a qualitative study conducted on medical students, cell phones, PDAs, and computer-smart phones were mentioned most frequently for web-searching, individual information management, communications, job affairs, and other medical programs (Tahamtan, Sedghi, Talacci, & Mohaghegh, 2012). Also, in another quantitative study conducted with Australian and Malaysian students, the most common reasons for the use of the cell phone were an easy communication with others via messaging and voice calling, and having no time and place limitations. In this regard, the American students considered the cell phone essential for calling parents, asking them for guidance and achieving emotional support (North, Johnston, & Ophoff, 2014). Along with the growing trend of using cell phones in other countries, the growing number of users of this technology in Iran has created a revolution in the use of communication tools and a change in the pattern of relationships and behaviours (Saeidi, 2013). The cell phone as the most personal and the most widely used communication device with its variety of functions and applications in various domains is an important tool for developing the Iranian society (Moidfar & Ganji, 2010). Besides the growing use of this technology, numerous arguments are raised about the individualistic and social, short-term and long-term, superficial and deep, and positive and negative effects of such a technology (Baysal et al., 2010; Hasanzadeh, Lotfi, Hoseini, & Ebrahimi, 2012; Hasanzadeh & Rezaei, 2010; Moidfar & Ganji, 2010; Rajeev & Jobilal, 2015; Saeidi, 2013). The advantages of cell phones are making voice calls, text messaging, live chat, music play, video games, internet and telephone banking services, and the facilitation of communication (Baysal et al., 2010). Besides the benefits of this miracle, its negative effects include headache, memory loss, fatigue, the feeling of heat in ears, sleep disturbances, reduced attention and concentration, cancer (Ghaedi, Kargar Jahromi, Farzam, Azhdari, Mahmoudi Teimourabad, & Bathaee, 2013), anxiety, depression, psychological distress, unhealthy lifestyle, hearing and vision problems, brain tumors, reduction in social relationships and well-being due to loneliness, depression, and isolation (Babadi-Akashe, Zamani, Abedini, Akbari, & Hedayati, 2014), lower educational attainments, dependence, addiction, and emotional stress (North, et al., 2014). The findings of a descriptive study conducted by Rajeev & Jobilal (2015) showed that the mobile phone technology especially among college students had a high level of acceptance and penetration. Meanwhile, the negative impact of mobile phones and other associated supplies was very high. …