Validating the Gratifications Associated with the Use of the Smartphone and the Internet by University Students in Chile, Ecuador and Spain

ABSTRACT The pervasiveness of the smartphone and the Internet among young university students can cause both benefits and problematic behaviour mediated by the motivations of the users. This study, using the Uses and Gratifications (U&G) approach and through a quota sampling of university students in Chile (n = 350), Ecuador (n = 350) and Spain (n = 350), sought to identify the gratifications that obtain when using smartphones to access the Internet. The multigroup analysis of invariance showed the moderation of the student’s cultural context. These findings imply that the analysis of the gratifications associated with the use of smartphones and the Internet should focus both on the technology itself and on the cultural context of the users.