The Shock, the Coping, the Resilience: How Smartphone Application Use Reveals Covid-19 Lockdown Effects on Human Behaviour

Liu, X.F., Wang, ZZ., Xu, XK. et al. The shock, the coping, the resilience: smartphone application use reveals Covid-19 lockdown effects on human behaviors. EPJ Data Sci. 12, 17 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1140/epjds/s13688-023-00391-9

18 Pages Posted: 26 May 2022 Last revised: 7 Jun 2023

See all articles by Xiao Fan Liu

Xiao Fan Liu

City University of Hong Kong

Zhenzhen Wang

Shenzhen University

X-K Xu

Dalian Minzu University - College of Information and Communication Engineering

Ye Wu

Beijing University of Posts and Telecommunications (BUPT) - School of Economics and Management

Zhidan Zhao

Shantou University

Huarong Deng

Shenzhen HeyTap Technology Co.,Ltd.

Ping Wang

Shenzhen HeyTap Technology Co.,Ltd.

Naipeng Chao

Shenzhen University

Yi-Hui Huang

City University of Hong Kong (CityU) - Department of Media and Communication

Date Written: April 22, 2022

Abstract

Lockdown policies significantly restrict human mobility and lower the chance of virus transmission through physical contact. However, a critical question that must be addressed is how these policies affect individuals’ behavioural and psychological well-being during and after confinement periods. Here, we analyse China’s five most stringent city-level lockdowns during 2021, treating them as natural experiments that allow for examination of behavioural changes in millions of people before, during, and after the lockdowns via patterns in smartphone application use. We made three fundamental observations. First, physical and economic activity-related apps experienced a steep decline in use, yet those that provide daily necessities retained high usage. Second, apps that fulfilled lower-level human needs, such as working, socialising, information seeking, and entertainment, saw an immediate and substantial increase in screen time. Those that satisfied higher-level needs, such as education, only drew a delayed attention. Third, human behaviour demonstrated resilience as most routines resumed as lockdowns lifted. Nonetheless, long-term lifestyle changes were observed as significant numbers of people chose to continue working and learning online, becoming “digital residents.” We argue that lockdowns must be brief and carefully planned to minimise negative impacts on human life. Our findings also lead us to predict a surge of new online businesses in the post-pandemic era as well as escalated cybersecurity threats. We also hope that our method enriches the toolbox for studying mobile phone usage and enables a new perspective for in-depth investigation of human behaviours.

Keywords: COVID-19, lockdown, human behaviours, smartphone apps, natural experiments

Suggested Citation

Liu, Xiao Fan and Wang, Zhenzhen and Xu, Xiao-Ke and Wu, Ye and Zhao, Zhidan and Deng, Huarong and Wang, Ping and Chao, Naipeng and Huang, Yi-Hui, The Shock, the Coping, the Resilience: How Smartphone Application Use Reveals Covid-19 Lockdown Effects on Human Behaviour (April 22, 2022). Liu, X.F., Wang, ZZ., Xu, XK. et al. The shock, the coping, the resilience: smartphone application use reveals Covid-19 lockdown effects on human behaviors. EPJ Data Sci. 12, 17 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1140/epjds/s13688-023-00391-9, Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=4104602 or http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.4104602

Xiao Fan Liu (Contact Author)

City University of Hong Kong ( email )

18 Tat Hong Avenue
Kowloon
Hong Kong

Zhenzhen Wang

Shenzhen University

3688 Nanhai Road, Nanshan District
Shenzhen, Guangdong 518060
China

Xiao-Ke Xu

Dalian Minzu University - College of Information and Communication Engineering ( email )

Dalian, 116600
China

Ye Wu

Beijing University of Posts and Telecommunications (BUPT) - School of Economics and Management ( email )

10 Xi Tu Cheng Rd.
Mailbox 164
Beijing, Beijing 100876
China

Zhidan Zhao

Shantou University

Daxue road, Shantou university
Shantou, Guangdong 515063
China

Huarong Deng

Shenzhen HeyTap Technology Co.,Ltd. ( email )

Shenzhen
China

Ping Wang

Shenzhen HeyTap Technology Co.,Ltd. ( email )

Shenzhen
China

Naipeng Chao

Shenzhen University ( email )

3688 Nanhai Road, Nanshan District
Shenzhen, 518060
China

Yi-Hui Huang

City University of Hong Kong (CityU) - Department of Media and Communication ( email )

Hong Kong

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