The interviews revealed that connectedness was a driving force for young adults to use a
smartphone. Astrid stated that one of the benefits of her smartphone was that it helped her stay
connected. She said:
I think it allows me to stay up-to-date with my friends and all of that. I also
have this app that allows me… I went abroad this past summer so I have a lot
of friends in Africa that I can't text. So it helps me stay connected to them
because there is like this free texting app so I can text them for free through
that. And then I think it facilitates my ability to stay connected to my classes
like I have a Blackboard app that I check for updates and lecture notes and all
of that.