Commonly done but not socially accepted? Phubbing and social norms in dyadic and small group settings

Phubbing—the usage of one's smartphone in copresent interactions—has become a prevalent phenomenon in our digital society. At the same time, phubbing is perceived to be inappropriate in most social settings. The present study examines the interrelation between phubbing norms and phubbing behavior by differentiating between descriptive and injunctive norms, as well as between dyadic and small group interactions. Our online survey of 218 smartphone users revealed that people adapt their phubbing behavior to conform to their perception that phubbing is quite common (descriptive norm), whereas the perception that phubbing is not socially approved (injunctive norm) is not behaviorally relevant. This result applies generally to both dyadic and small group interactions. However, individuals orient more strongly toward descriptive normative perceptions in interactions with more than three copresent friends than in dyadic interactions. It can be concluded that phubbing is primarily legitimized by the perception that others do the same.