New media uses and dependency effect model: Exploring the relationship between new media use habit, dependency relation, and possible outcomes

New media technologies have become embedded into the daily life of college students. This study explores the relationship between new media use habits and possible prosocial and consumer behavioral outcomes. New media dependency, a psychological construct posited here, explores the interaction effects of new media uses with outcomes. Methodologies included focus group interviews followed by an extensive survey of Korean college students. The survey data were then used to build a series of regression models. In the proposed models, the analyses indicate that new media use habits and behavioral patterns predict outcomes. New media dependency predicted 32% 24% and 27% 11% of consumer behavior and prosocial behavior outcome variance respectively. And, comprehensive uses and dependency-effect models predicted 34% and 29% respectively. New media dependency has proved itself to be a mediator of the outcome variables. The importance of the dependency relation is emphasized by clarifying the influence of the behavioral patterns of new media use and the embeddedness of new media into daily life. The study provides conceptual and methodological guidelines for new media research in light of dependency and outcomes.