Impact of Smartphone Usage on Social Interactions and Attitudes Among Keralites (India) in the Post-Pandemic Period: A Descriptive Statistics Approach

Abstract

In India, smartphone sales have increased in recent years, and Kerala, a South Indian state that accounts for 2.76% of the Indian population according to the 2011 Census of India1 , has seen an increase in smartphone use since the pandemic-induced lockdowns and quarantines. The rampant use of smartphone technology is believed to have a substantial impact on interactions among individuals. The current study aims to analyse the impact of smartphone use among various categories of people in Kerala, India, on their social interactions and the formation of social attitudes using primary data. The focus is on the time duration put aside for face-to-face interactions and for smartphone communications, and the results show that there is no drastic reduction in face-to-face interactions among Keralites due to phone use, despite evidence for widespread ownership and use of smartphones among all categories of individuals, especially for communication purposes. Strong associations among smartphone use, age, and employment status are also observed. Smartphone use is most prevalent among students and workers belonging to the age groups 15-29 years and 45-59 years, and no clear gender divide is visible