Social Media Addiction and Objective Measures of iPhone Use: Use What I Say and Use What I Do

The past 10 years have seen a growing increase in research surrounding social media use on personal devices, with some studies investigating use from within the framework of addiction. However, a reoccurring issue within these studies has been that the predominant form of measuring social media “use” has relied upon self-report data, which has various issues related to validity. This paper describes how the issue of validity in research on social media use can be addressed by using information readily available in participants’ back pockets: their iPhone. In this respect, we wish to share methodology capable of providing an objective measure of social media use for those willing to restrict their study to iPhone users. We will discuss what type of information is available to researchers, how they may access it in an ethical fashion, and the limitations associated with these objective measures. Ultimately, the hope is for such objective measures to supplement more traditional self-report methods, so that we can obtain the most accurate information possible.

Keywords: Social media; Measurement; iPhone; Objective measure; Addiction