The Smart-life : A qualitative study on smartphone use and integration

Abstract

The smartphone diffusion in Norway is prevalent, and we have downloaded countless “apps” for our “droids” and iPhones. The purpose of this master thesis is to examine what people use their smartphones for in their everyday life. It also examines whether, or how, the smartphone has become an integrated and mundane feature in the lives of the users. Embedded in this effort is an attempt to get behind the smartphone hype of “constant connectedness”. Through 32 spontaneous focused interviews with young and mature adults, the smartphone use of these digital natives and settlers is examined. The findings of this thesis indicate that the majority of the informants use their smartphones in a way that fit into their lives. They are living the “smart-life”; harnessing the smartphone’s possibilities for a wide range of purposes – in a wide range of settings. Further, the findings suggest that owning a smartphone is expected; because the smartphone in itself is seemingly becoming a social fact.