Investigating the Impact of Perceived Ease of Use and Perceived Usefulness towards Phubbing Behavior among University Students: Unveiling the Mediating Role of Smartphone Addiction

Abstract

The present study intends to investigate the effects of perceived ease of use (PEOU) and perceived usefulness (PU) toward phubbing behavior. It also examines the mediating role of smartphone addiction between perceived ease of use and phubbing behavior as well as perceived usefulness and phubbing behavior. By drawing on the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) as a theoretical lens, this study seeks to examine the direct impact of perceived ease of use and perceived usefulness towards phubbing behavior and see how these relationships are explained in the presence of smartphone addiction among students. The final sample comprised 210 students from twelve universities located in the twin cities of Pakistan. Structural equation modelling (SEM) was used in Smart-PLS 4 to test the hypothesized relationship. The findings indicated that perceived ease of use has a direct association with the students’ phubbing behavior, and also this relationship is mediated through smartphone addiction. On the other hand, the perceived usefulness does not directly relate to the phubbing behavior. The study has meaningful implications for educators, future researchers, and policy makers regarding use of smartphone devices.         Keywords: Phubbing behavior, smartphone addiction, technology acceptance model, perceived ease of use, perceived usefulness