The Impact of Social Norms on Users’ Smartphone Notifications Management Strategies

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Last Modified
  • February 26, 2019
Creator
  • Goray, Cami
    • Affiliation: School of Information and Library Science
Abstract
  • There are paradoxical stories about the role of notifications for smartphone users. On the one hand, notifications can empower us to remain "in the loop" and can help us connect with others through digital platforms. On the other hand, they are criticized for contributing to phone addiction as they pull us away from our immediate surroundings and real life human interaction. This study investigates the tension users feel between these trade-offs. Using Erving Goffman’s model of impression management as a theoretical lens, this study explores how two groups of users, Chinese international students and native U.S. students, manage their smartphone notifications. Additionally, it examines how they negotiate boundaries with technology. Data was collected from semi-structured interviews and participant diary study observations. 14 UNC-Chapel Hill undergraduate and graduate students participated. The findings illuminate what expectations and pressures users consider when reacting to their notifications as well as how they perceive their control in a world of constant connectivity. The findings may contribute suggestions for future smartphone notification design.
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Rights statement
  • In Copyright
Note
  • Funding: Carnegie grant
Advisor
  • Shaw, Ryan
Degree
  • Bachelor of Science
Academic concentration
  • Information & Library Science
Honors level
  • Honors
Degree granting institution
  • University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Graduation year
  • 2018
Language
  • English

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