https://doi.org/10.1177/2050157918764015 Mobile Media & Communication 1–17 © The Author(s) 2018 Reprints and permissions: sagepub.co.uk/journalsPermissions.nav DOI: 10.1177/2050157918764015 journals.sagepub.com/home/mmc Exploration of the forms of mobile phone attachment among traders in Ghana Rabiu K. B. Asante University of Ghana, Ghana Abstract Studies on mobile phone attachment have often focused on addiction to the mobile phone with a particular focus on young populations to the neglect of older ones. However, attachment to the mobile phone means more than addiction as experienced by young populations in developed nations. This paper attempts to explore the various forms of attachment across a working population in Africa. It is aimed at establishing the forms of attachment to the mobile phone and their possible sociodemographic variations. Data was collected from 374 used-clothing traders in Accra, using a mixed- methods approach. Employing the conversion framework from domestication theory, a thematic analysis showed that attachment to mobile phone use is culturally specific. A principal component analysis revealed five types of attachment with significant variations across age, gender, and level of education. Keywords addiction, Africa, attachment, domestication, Ghana, mobile phone, traders Introduction Recent mobile phone and smartphone addiction studies have focused on how specific features and applied uses of the mobile phone can be addictive (Chuma, 2014; Dlodlo, 2015; Park, 2005). Studies that look at extreme dependence on the mobile phone also abound. However, fewer of such studies consider other possible forms of dependence on the mobile phone, particularly in Africa (Burrell, 2014; Chuma, 2014). This paper adds to the body of scholarship on mobile phone addiction by examining the different ways in which users depend on their mobile phones. Exploring this will shed light on the possible Corresponding author: Rabiu K. B. Asante, Department of Sociology, University of Ghana, P.O. Box LG 64, Legon, Accra, Ghana. Emails: rkbasante@ug.edu.gh, rabasante@gmail.com 764015MMC 0 0 10.1177/2050157918764015Mobile Media & CommunicationAsante research-article 2018 Article