More Than Just Talk on the Move: Uses and Gratifications of the Cellular Phone

2000/06/01 by Louis Leung, Ran Wei · 5 citations
Social Sciences · Engineering · Psychology · #Impact of Technology on Adolescents #ICT Impact and Policies #Social Media and Politics #Affection #Immediacy #Phone #Advertising #Mobile phone #Psychology #Uses and gratifications theory #Internet privacy #Social psychology #Business #Telecommunications #Computer science #Social media #World Wide Web

paper · doi:10.1177/107769900007700206

openalex publication_date 2000/06/01 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/01

Abstract

Mobility, immediacy, and instrumentality are found the strongest instrumental motives in predicting the use of cellular phones, followed by intrinsic factors such as affection/sociability. Subscription to functionally enhanced services such as call transfers and caller ID appears to be important predictors for overall cellular phone use, especially for those who are on the go. As expected, the use of cellular phones on buses, cars, and trains or in malls and restaurants is strongly linked to mobility and immediate access gratifications. Further, young and less educated women tend to talk longer on each call. Finally, talking to co-workers and business partners via cellular phones appears to be for instrumental reasons, while talking to immediate family members is for mobility and showing affection.

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