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Abstract
The purpose of the current dissertation was to investigate 1) how an individuals attachment style influences his or her mobile attachment, and 2) whether the mobile phone provides a secure base to users in the same way an attachment figure in an interpersonal relationship functions as a secure base. In study one, a self-administered online survey (N=231) was conducted to explore the relationship between individuals attachment orientation, mobile attachment, and general attitude toward mobile advertising. The results indicated that attachment anxiety is associated with mobile attachment, while attachment avoidance is not, confirming earlier findings from the literature. Furthermore, mobile attachment mediates the relationship between attachment anxiety and attitude toward mobile advertising. However, the mediation role of mobile attachment on the effect of attachment avoidance on attitude toward mobile advertising was not supported. Interestingly, attachment avoidance is negatively associated with attitude toward mobile advertising. Study two (N=154) investigated the secure base function of the mobile phone in a 3 (mobile phone availability: detachment, physical proximity, availability) x 2 (brands: high vs. low curiosity generating) between-subjects, post-test only experiment. The results demonstrated that mobile phone availability has a significant effect on skipping advertising and the percentage of ad watched. People who were separated from their mobile phones watched an advertising video for less time and skipped the ad more than people who used their mobile phones or people who maintained proximity to their mobile phones while using someone elses phone. Furthermore, people with high attachment to their mobile phones or high attachment anxiety watched the ad for significantly less time when they were separated from their mobile phones compared to people with either low mobile attachment or low attachment anxiety. In summary, the current studies demonstrated that (a) mobile phones serve as substitute attachment targets for their users; (b) the mere presence of ones mobile phone provides a sense of security to the user; and (c) there is a moderating role of mobile attachment and attachment anxiety on the secure base function of mobile phones.