Cultural participation in transition: traditional and emerging forms of culture and the role of smartphones

Advancements in information technology have reshaped cultural engagement by stimulating new and emerging cultural practices such as playing video games and listening to podcasts, while altering traditional modes of consumption. Smartphones, in particular, are both enablers of cultural participation, providing immediate and continuous access to cultural resources, and a potential distraction that reduces engagement in traditional cultural activities. This study investigates the association between smartphone usage and cultural participation, based on a survey conducted in Italy in 2023 (N = 1220). After identifying five cultural participation profiles, their association with smartphone usage is investigated through the generalized propensity score, an emerging methodology that handles continuous exposures, which can limit confounding biases while controlling for socio-economic and demographic factors. Our findings highlight the existence of cultural participation profiles encompassing both traditional and emerging forms of culture: video games and podcasts. The results, moreover, indicate that the relationship between smartphone usage and cultural participation is not uniform. While the engagement profiles linked to Popular Cultural Activities, Musical Pursuits, and Multimedia Activities appear to be positively associated with smartphone usage, those relating to Classical and Literary Arts and Performing Arts follow an inverted U-shaped pattern, suggesting that engagement in these pursuits appears lower at higher levels of smartphone usage.