Abstract

The pervasive integration of smartphones into daily life has reshaped how individuals engage with technology, presenting opportunities and challenges for screen time management. This research explores the dual nature of smartphone affordances through the lens of affordance theory, focusing on how these devices support user’s objectives but also hinder their well-being. The study examines individual's digital habits through interpretive analysis of the data, which consists of semi-structured, in-depth interviews with twelve participants aged 23 to 54 recruited from social media platforms. From understanding the initial benefits to potential negative impacts due to overuse, the study provides a nuanced understanding of how smartphone affordances can contribute to adverse outcomes. The research identifies key objectives driving smartphone use: self-care, information, communication, entertainment, and companionship. It explores how these objectives can lead to negative effects, explored as physical, emotional, and behavioural precipitating elements. It proposes curtailment strategies, including self-restraint, self-surveillance, network management, and other non-digital strategies. The theoretical contributions include an enhanced conceptualization of affordances in digital consumption and disconnection, demonstrating how the same smartphone functionalities can lead to varied positive and negative experiences, depending on usage. This paper offers practical insights for stakeholders to develop, promote, and implement effective screen time management strategies.