“You Have a New Message”: Interaction Norms and Their Impact on Mobile Social Communication among Chinese Young People

LI Xueqing; LI Yungeng

PDF(1845 KB)

Chinese Journal of Journalism & Communication ›› 2026, Vol. 48 ›› Issue (2) : 138-162.

Research Articles

“You Have a New Message”: Interaction Norms and Their Impact on Mobile Social Communication among Chinese Young People

LI Xueqing ,
LI Yungeng

Author information +

History +

Abstract

With smartphones deeply embedded in everyday interaction, young people develop shared rules for mobile communication that shape media behavior and psychological well-being. Guided by a sociotechnical perspective and a dual-process model, this two-stage mixed-methods study first conducted six focus groups (N = 36) to identify four interaction norms: responsiveness, disturbance avoidance, public reciprocity, and social presence. Then we surveyed 831 respondents to validate the norms and test the pathways from interaction norms to subjective well-being through purposive and habitual phone checking. Results show that responsiveness and social presence increase both purposive and habitual checking; purposive checking is associated with positive affect and, in turn, higher well-being. Disturbance avoidance reduces purposive checking and relates to lower well-being through negative affect. Habitual checking is associated with both negative affect and well-being, indicating a double-edged effect. This study develops and validates a typology of youth mobile interaction norms and clarifies how social expectations translate into individual media practices and psychological outcomes.

Key words

Mobile communication / social norms / habitual checking / purposeful checking / subjective well-being

Cite this article

EndNote

Ris (Procite)

Bibtex

Download Citations

LI Xueqing , LI Yungeng. “You Have a New Message”: Interaction Norms and Their Impact on Mobile Social Communication among Chinese Young People[J]. Chinese Journal of Journalism & Communication. 2026, 48(2): 138-162

References

List( Publishing order | Descend order by publishing year | Descend order by cited within ) Chart analysis

[1]	戴宇辰(2019). “旧相识”和“新重逢”:行动者网络理论与媒介(化)研究的未来——一个理论史视角. 《国际新闻界》,(4),68-88. Cited in this article [1]

[2]	华劼(2020). 社交媒体网络直播隐私侵权问题研究. 《兰州学刊》,(5),60-68. Cited in this article [1]

[3]	李雪晴, 符宝莹(2025). “保持连接”的社交期望对青年沉迷手机的影响研究. 《上海交通大学学报(哲学社会科学版)》,(2),113-127. Cited in this article [2]

[4]	路鹃, 李浩, 王子涵(2024). 作为符码的社交:中国式关系视角下青年群体朋友圈点赞行为研究. 《新闻与写作》,(4),84-95. Cited in this article [1]

[5]	澎湃新闻.(2024年12月29日) 中小学严格限制学生带手机入校,此地发布决定→. https://m.thepaper.cn/baijiahao_29790942 https://m.thepaper.cn/baijiahao_29790942 Cited in this article [1]

[6]	王纪申, 刘文理, 李强(2021). 手机成瘾与大学生睡眠质量:焦虑和反刍思维的作用. 《中国临床心理学杂志》,(5),1060-1063+1068. Cited in this article [1]

[7]	张杰, 杨欣怡, 黄从严(2025). 疏联:中国式数字断连与差序格局变迁——以微信“已读延回”为中心. 《国际新闻界》,(1),114-134. Cited in this article [2]

[8]	Aagaard, J. (2016). Mobile devices, interaction, and distraction: A qualitative exploration of absent presence. AI & Society, 31(2), 223-231. Cited in this article [1]

[9]	Ajzen, I. (1991). The theory of planned behavior. Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes, 50(2), 179-211. Cited in this article [2]

[10]	Ansari, S., Iqbal, N., Asif, R., Hashim, M., Farooqi, S. R., & Alimoradi, Z. (2024). Social media use and well-being: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Cyberpsychology, Behavior, and Social Networking, 27(10), 704-719. Cited in this article [1]

[11]	Asch, S. E. (1946). Max Wertheimer's contribution to modern psychology. Social Research, 81-102. Cited in this article [1]

[12]	Bandura, A. (2001). Social cognitive theory: An agentic perspective. Annual Review of Psychology, 52(1), 1-26. Cited in this article [1]

[13]	Bayer, J. B., & LaRose, R. (2018). Technology habits: Progress, problems, and prospects. The psychology of habit: Theory, mechanisms, change, and contexts, 111-130. Cited in this article [1]

[14]	Bayer, J. B., Campbell, S. W., & Ling, R. (2016). Connection cues: Activating the norms and habits of social connectedness. Communication Theory, 26(2), 128-149. Cited in this article [4]

[15]

Caughlin,

J. P.

, Basinger,

E. D.

, & Sharabi,

L. L.

(2016). The connections between communication technologies and relational conflict: A multiple goals and communication interdependence perspective. In J.A. Samp (Ed.), Communicating Interpersonal Conflict in Close Relationships (pp.57-72). Routledge.

Cited in this article [1]

[16]	Chan, M. (2015). Mobile phones and the good life: Examining the relationships among mobile use, social capital and subjective well-being. New Media & Society, 17(1), 96-113. Cited in this article [2]

[17]	Chan, M., & Li, X. (2020). Smartphones and psychological well-being in China: Examining direct and indirect relationships through social support and relationship satisfaction. Telematics and Informatics, 54, 101469. Cited in this article [1]

[18]	Chen, C., Cohen, O., & Sundar, S. S. (2022). Differentiating problematic from habitual instagram use: A uses and grats 2.0 perspective. Social Media + Society, 8(3), 20563051221116339. Cited in this article [1]

[19]	Chotpitayasunondh, V., & Douglas, K. M. (2016). How “phubbing” becomes the norm: The antecedents and consequences of snubbing via smartphone. Computers in Human Behavior, 63, 9-18. Cited in this article [2]

[20]

Chou,

Y. L.

, Lin,

Y. H.

, Lin,

T. Y.

, You,

H. Y.

, & Chang,

Y. J.

(2022). Why did you/I read but not reply? IM users’ unresponded-to read-receipt practices and explanations of them. Proceedings of the 2022 CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems. https://doi.org/10.1145/3491102.351749

Cited in this article [1]

[21]	Cialdini, R. B., Reno, R. R., & Kallgren, C. A. (1990). A focus theory of normative conduct: Recycling the concept of norms to reduce littering in public places. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 58(6), 1015. Cited in this article [1]

[22]	Cui, D. (2016). Beyond “connected presence”: Multimedia mobile instant messaging in close relationship management. Mobile Media & Communication, 4(1), 19-36. Cited in this article [1]

[23]	Diener, E., Napa Scollon, C., Lucas, R.E. (2009). The evolving concept of subjective well-being: The multifaceted nature of happiness. In Diener, E. (Ed.), Assessing Well-Being. Social Indicators Research Series (pp.67-100). Springer. Cited in this article [3]

[24]	Evans, S. K., Pearce, K. E., Vitak, J., & Treem, J. W. (2017). Explicating affordances: A conceptual framework for understanding affordances in communication research. Journal of Computer-Mediated Communication, 22(1), 35-52. Cited in this article [1]

[25]	Fishbein, M., & Ajzen, I. (2010). Predicting and changing behavior. Psychology press. Cited in this article [1]

[26]	Forgays, D. K., Hyman, I., & Schreiber, J. (2014). Texting everywhere for everything: Gender and age differences in cell phone etiquette and use. Computers in Human Behavior, 31, 314-321. Cited in this article [1]

[27]	Forma, J., & Kaplowitz, S. A. (2012). The perceived rudeness of public cell phone behaviour. Behaviour & Information Technology, 31(10), 947-952. Cited in this article [1]

[28]	Gable, S. L., Gonzaga, G. C., & Strachman, A. (2006). Will you be there for me when things go right? Supportive responses to positive event disclosures. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 91(5), 904. Cited in this article [1]

[29]	Gibson, J. J. (1977). The theory of affordances. In Shaw R., Bransford J. (Eds.), Perceiving, acting, and knowing: Toward an ecological psychology (pp.67-82). Lawrence Erlbaum Associates. Cited in this article [1]

[30]	Halfmann, A. (2021). Digging deeper into the reasons for self-control failure: Both intrinsic and extrinsic motivations to use mobile communication shape self-control processes. Mass Communication and Society, 24(6), 843-866. Cited in this article [1]

[31]	Halfmann, A., & Rieger, D. (2019). Permanently on call: The effects of social pressure on smartphone users’ self-control, need satisfaction, and well-being. Journal of Computer-Mediated Communication, 24(4), 165-181. Cited in this article [1]

[32]

Hancock,

, Liu,

S. X.

, Luo,

, & Mieczkowski,

(2022, March 9). Psychological well-being and social media use: A meta-analysis of associations between social media use and depression, anxiety, loneliness, eudaimonic, hedonic and social well-being. http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.4053961

Cited in this article [1]

[33]	Hofmann, W., Friese, M., & Strack, F. (2009). Impulse and self-control from a dual-systems perspective. Perspectives on Psychological Science, 4(2), 162-176. Cited in this article [1]

[34]	Kline, R. B. (2011). Convergence of structural equation modeling and multilevel modeling. In W. P. Vogt & M. Williams (Eds.), The SAGE handbook of methodological innovation (pp.562-589). SAGE. Cited in this article [1]

[35]	Lapinski, M. K., & Rimal, R. N. (2005). An explication of social norms. Communication Theory, 15(2), 127-147. Cited in this article [2]

[36]

Leonardi,

P. M.

(2012). sociomateriality, and socio-technical systems: What do these terms mean? How are they different? Do we need them? In P. M. Leonardi, B. A. Nardi, & J. Kallinikos (Eds.), Materiality and organizing: Social interaction in a technological world (pp.25-48). Oxford University Press.

Cited in this article [1]

[37]	Leonardi, P. M., Treem, J. W., & Jackson, M. H. (2010). The connectivity paradox: Using technology to both decrease and increase perceptions of distance in distributed work arrangements. Journal of Applied Communication Research, 38(1), 85-105. Cited in this article [1]

[38]	Li, X. (2021). The more the better? A comparative study of the relationships among multimodal connectedness, online communication, and relational outcomes in China and the United States. Chinese Journal of Communication, 14(3), 239-258. Cited in this article [2]

[39]	Li, X., & Chan, M. (2022). Smartphone uses and emotional and psychological well-being in China: the attenuating role of perceived information overload. Behaviour & Information Technology, 41(11), 2427-2437. Cited in this article [1]

[40]	Licoppe, C., & Heurtin, J. P. (2001). Managing one’s availability to telephone communication through mobile phones: A French case study of the development dynamics of mobile phone use. Personal and Ubiquitous Computing, 5(2), 99-108. Cited in this article [1]

[41]	Lipscomb, T. J., Totten, J. W., Cook, R. A., & Lesch, W. (2007). Cellular phone etiquette among college students. International Journal of Consumer Studies, 31(1), 46-56. Cited in this article [1]

[42]	Marciano, L., Lin, J., Sato, T., Saboor, S., & Viswanath, K. (2024). Does social media use make us happy? A meta-analysis on social media and positive well-being outcomes. SSM-Mental Health, 6, 100331. Cited in this article [1]

[43]	Norman, D. A. (1988). The psychology of everyday things. Basic Books. Cited in this article [1]

[44]	Nussbaum, M. C. (2000). Emotions and social norms. In L. P. Nucci, G. B. Saxe, & E. Turiel (Eds.), Culture, thought, and development (pp.34-53). Lawrence Erlbaum Associates. Cited in this article [1]

[45]	Oulasvirta, A., Rattenbury, T., Ma, L., & Raita, E. (2012). Habits make smartphone use more pervasive. Personal and Ubiquitous Computing, 16(1), 105-114. Cited in this article [1]

[46]	Pinch, T. J., & Bijker, W. E. (1984). The social construction of facts and artefacts: Or how the sociology of science and the sociology of technology might benefit each other. Social Studies of Science, 14(3), 399-441. Cited in this article [1]

[47]	Reinecke, L., Gilbert, A., & Eden, A. (2022). Self-regulation as a key boundary condition in the relationship between social media use and well-being. Current Opinion in Psychology, 45, 101296. Cited in this article [3]

[48]	Rhodes, N., Shulman, H. C., & McClaran, N. (2020). Changing norms: A meta-analytic integration of research on social norms appeals. Human Communication Research, 46(2-3), 161-191. Cited in this article [1]

[49]	Strack, F., & Deutsch, R. (2004). Reflective and impulsive determinants of social behavior. Personality and Social Psychology Review, 8(3), 220-247. Cited in this article [1]

[50]	Taylor, S. H., & Bazarova, N. N. (2021). Always available, always attached: A relational perspective on the effects of mobile phones and social media on subjective well-being. Journal of Computer-Mediated Communication, 26(4), 187-206. Cited in this article [1]

[51]	Tracy, S. J. (2024). Qualitative research methods: Collecting evidence, crafting analysis, communicating impact (3rd ed.). John Wiley & Sons. Cited in this article [1]

[52]	Verplanken, B., & Orbell, S. (2003). Reflections on past behavior: a self-report index of habit strength. Journal of Applied Social Psychology, 33(6), 1313-1330. Cited in this article [1]

[53]	Vorderer, P., Krömer, N., & Schneider, F. M. (2016). Permanently online-Permanently connected: Explorations into university students’ use of social media and mobile smart devices. Computers in Human Behavior, 63, 694-703. Cited in this article [1]

Footnotes

1. 所抽取的高校分别为：北京的清华大学和中国地质大学（北京）；上海的上海交通大学和同济大学；广州的中山大学和华南理工大学。

2. 之所以采用这一方式，是因为两位作者能够从理论定义、维度归属与题项表述准确性等角度对初始题项进行把关，而5名受访者作为目标群体的一部分，有助于从实际理解与日常语言使用的角度判断题项是否清晰、易于回答，并检视其是否能够较好地反映移动媒介互动中的真实规范经验。此外，本研究进行了前测（N = 135）。受试者来自作者所在高校的三门公共课程，完成问卷可获得课程加分。其中，探索性因子分析结果表明题项“表现得礼貌”和“多使用礼貌用语”出现了交叉载荷，因此删除前者，仅保留后者。

3. “避免打语音电话”与“避免发语音信息”都涉及对语音沟通形式的回避；“快速回复对方信息”与“及时回复对方信息”都强调回复时效性；“我关注了朋友的社交账号，朋友也应该回关我”与“我看了朋友的社交媒体主页，朋友也应该回访我的主页”都体现了社交方式和回报的对等性；“多使用礼貌用语”与“多结合表情包、语气词等表达方式”都属于通过附加表达资源增强移动互动临场感的做法。由于这些题项在语义内容和表达方式上相似，允许其误差相关具有合理性。

Funding

National Social Science Fund “Analysis and Governance of Hong Kong Youth's Online Ideology in the Era of Intelligent Media”(20CXW002)

PDF(1845 KB)

Accesses

Citation

Detail

Sections

Recommended

Please choose a citation manager

Content to export