The Expanded Me: Impact of Smartphone Use on Adolescents’ Self-Expansion Via Smartphone

As the most popular handheld tech tool in modern society, smartphones have been closely tied to people's lives. Previous studies widely discussed the negative influence of smartphone use on people's psychology and behavior. However, there is a paucity of research examined the relationship between smartphone use and the self from the perspective of self-expansion. Based on the self-expansion model, this study explored how the self changed as a result of smartphone use and also examined the underlying mediators such as cognitive absorption and online basic psychological need satisfaction. A sample of 866 Chinese adolescents reported on the anonymous questionnaires. The current results indicated that adolescents' smartphone use was positively related to self-expansion via smartphone. The mediating roles of cognitive absorption and online basic psychological need satisfaction were also validated. This study suggests that smartphone is an effective way for people to improve and expand themselves.