Attitude Toward the Smartphone (Privacy)

What it measures

A five-item scale measuring the degree to which a consumer perceives their smartphone as a deeply personal and private possession — one that belongs exclusively to them, that they are reluctant to share, and that they would feel uncomfortable having others use. Items capture both the psychological ownership dimension and the social boundary dimension of smartphone privacy, reflecting the intimate and personally bounded nature of the device.

Representative items

• I think of my smartphone as a very personal object.
• My smartphone is a really private possession.
• I would feel uncomfortable if someone used my smartphone.

Citation

Melumad, Shiri and Michel Tuan Pham (2020). The smartphone as a pacifier: A psychological and physiological investigation of its effects on stressed consumers. Journal of Marketing Research, 57(2), 236–256.