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Abstract
This study of how and why Hispanic millennials at a Texas university use their smartphones employs a uses and gratifications approach. A survey was undertaken to amass data from 214 students who grew up in the state and are regular smartphone users. The gratifications that respondents derive from their smartphones were analysed in light of basic Hispanic cultural values. The findings indicate that Texas Hispanic millennials obtain two main gratifications from smartphone usage: entertainment and connectedness. The authors call for more studies into smartphone use by specific segments of the Hispanic population in various regions of the USA.
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Author's Biography
Kenton T. Wilkinson is Thomas Jay Harris Regents Professor in Hispanic & International Communication at Texas Tech University. His research interests include international communication, Hispanic/Latinx-oriented media in the USA, and health communication. In 2016 Routledge published his book, ‘Spanish-Language Television in the United States: Fifty Years of Development’.
Magdalena Saldaña is an assistant professor at Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, in Santiago. She has a PhD in journalism from the University of Texas at Austin, and a master’s degree in social research from the University of Concepción, Chile. Her research interests include digital media, political communication, public opinion and Latin American studies.