Resistible: How the SDSU Common Read Encouraged More Conscientious Use of Technology - JCAPS Vol. 4 Issue 2

Heavy use of digital media is known to reduce psychological well-being. A recent campus Common Read program, which included reading Irresistible (Alter, 2017) and attending a series of events, attempted to promote more conscientious relationships with technology, thus supporting psychological well-being. Changes in mobile phone dependence and self-reported technology use behaviors were evaluated with questions grounded in the theory of planned behavior, measuring students’ attitudes, subjective norms, behavioral control, and intentions to decrease their use of non-educational technology. Noteworthy interactions included Common Read participants (n = 148) reporting less discomfort during times of mobile-phone abstinence and engaging in fewer social media platforms compared to control (n = 88). Common Read participants also consistently measured more favorably regarding behavioral control and screen time. Although participants’ intentions to reduce their non-educational technology use were not changed, other indicators support the conclusion that participants became more conscientious about their behavior due to Common Read programming participation.