Phubbing, Being Phubbed, and Interpersonal Communication Quality Across Generations X, Y, and Z: Evidence of a Generational Asymmetry


Candar S., Geçikli F.

BEHAVIORAL SCIENCES, cilt.16, sa.9, ss.1-20, 2026 (Scopus)

  • Yayın Türü: Makale / Tam Makale
  • Cilt numarası: 16 Sayı: 9
  • Basım Tarihi: 2026
  • Doi Numarası: 10.3390/bs16091536
  • Dergi Adı: BEHAVIORAL SCIENCES
  • Derginin Tarandığı İndeksler: Academic Search Ultimate (EBSCO), Scopus, Linguistic Bibliography, Psycinfo, Directory of Open Access Journals
  • Sayfa Sayıları: ss.1-20
  • Atatürk Üniversitesi Adresli: Evet

Özet

Phubbing, the act of snubbing a conversational partner in favor of a mobile phone, has become a routine feature of face-to-face interaction. This study tested seven directional hypotheses regarding general phubbing, being phubbed, and interpersonal communication quality across Generations X, Y, and Z, drawing on cohort theory and the digital-native framework. Data were collected via face-to-face questionnaires from 916 students and academic and administrative staff at a large Turkish public university using convenience sampling, and were analyzed with ANOVA, regression, and confirmatory factor analysis. General phubbing and being phubbed were measured with the Turkish-adapted Generic Scale of Phubbing and Generic Scale of Being Phubbed; communication quality was measured with the Interpersonal Communication Scale. General phubbing increased stepwise from Generation X to Z and was significantly and negatively associated with communication quality, as hypothesized. Being phubbed did not differ by generation, consistent with a normalization account, and showed a small, unhypothesized positive association with communication quality. Neither relationship was moderated by generational membership. Generation Z reported the lowest communication quality of the three cohorts, a result robust to sensitivity checks. Measurement limitations and implications for generational research on digital communication are discussed.