A liquidez nas relações e a solidez do consumo de celulares entre universitários

Abstract

The present study aimed to understand the socio-environmental processes underlying the use of cellphones and the implications for conscious consumption amongst university students in the city of Manaus, in the state of Amazonas. From this perspective, the Social and Environmental Sciences, and in particular the Environmental Psychology, connected in an interdisciplinary way, reflecting possibilities and transformations between people and the environment. In order to problematize the consumption of cellphones underlying communication technology, it was necessary to conceive all phases of its process: acquisition, use and disposal of cellphones. The implications of the Basic Human Values, Consumption Values and the Temporary Guidance Perspective of the participants were considered. The research was developed in an exploratory-descriptive methodological approach. The instruments used were a questionnaire with closed and open questions and social scales. 400 students, from two universities, participated, being 240 women and 160 men, with a mean age of 24 years (SD = 7.2). The research data was submitted to single and multivariate simple and inferential descriptive analysis, used by the SPSS (Social Package for Social Sciences) software. The results showed that, for the sample, the important predictors of the process of consumption of cellphones are the Basic Human Values (VHB) and the Consumer Values (VC) of each person. The type of orientation of the values, i.e. more personal or more collective, contribute significantly to the cellphones acquisition criteria (price, innovation, brand, socio-environmental responsibility and durability). The presence of technological innovation as a common cellphone acquisition criterion among these university students stands out. Regarding to the use of the cellphone, a strong presence of users' Hedonistic Consumption Values was noted. The usage time revealed emotional imperatives and consequences in the everyday performance. Although university students express strong temporal guidance regarding for the future, such attribute does not interfere with cellphone usage, unlike the temporal immediacy orientation. The results show that the practice of discarding the device occurs both in its transfer (60%) and in its retention (40%). The transfer of the cellphone indicates a positive relationship with conscious consumption, signaling a new opportunity for the market. On the other hand, the retention shows complicity in abstention of the student, Although university students express strong temporal guidance regarding for the future to initiating processes of reverse flow or reuse of the devices. Understanding these characteristics of consumption behavior, Although university students express strong temporal guidance regarding for the future to cellphones, may contribute to future applications in the field of mobile technologies consumption, so that consumers, organizations and the State optimize their attributions with social and environmental responsibility.