earticle

영어

The smartphone is a necessary communication and productivity tool. Unlike other neutral, utilitarian technologies, smartphones are also a social display of wealth, i.e., of conspicuous consumption. Behavior around necessity and conspicuous goods are normally separate research tracks, and we can find no studies for technology products that exhibit both traits. We therefore propose a four-factor model that explains conspicuous consumption of “necessary” smartphones: dependency, social influence, the need for social connection, and convenience, in the United States, Mexico, and the Philippines. This paper provides confirmatory support for extant literature of the four constructs; it demonstrates the viability of the survey instrument across countries; and it shows similar effects among country models. Our structural model results imply the borderless nature of smartphone conspicuous consumption.