Effects of Mobile Identity on Smartphone Symbolic Use: An Attachment Theory Perspective

Smartphones are not only multifunctional tools but also users’ personal extensions and identity symbols, as they are constantly with users and highly visible to the public while in use. Due to this public property as well as the close bond between smartphones and users, they are frequently used for personal identity expression besides functional purposes. The current study conceptualizes such behavior as symbolic use and aims to understand it. Anchoring on the attachment theory, mobile identity is postulated as an important antecedent of symbolic use. Mobile identity in turn is formed by mobile symbolism and mobile design esthetics. The research model was tested by a hybrid of both online and offline survey with 271 valid responses. SEM analysis was used to test the research model and SPSS was used for descriptive statistics. The results confirmed the role of mobile identity in affecting smartphone symbolic use. Additionally, individual materialism was confirmed as a moderator using hierarchical analysis. By defining and explaining smartphone symbolic use, this study clarifies the unique characteristics of the smartphone usage context as compared to non-portable technologies, thereby enriching the mobile usage literature and the application of attachment theory. It also defines the boundary condition of attachment formation by studying the contingent role of individual characteristics.