Only Holistic and Iterative Change Will Fix Digital Technology Research

The online world as a means of connection and disconnection during the COVID-19 pandemic: A test of the interpersonal-connections-behaviour framework

BACKGROUND

The interpersonal-connections-behaviour framework proposes that social media is helpful/unhelpful to the individual to the extent that it facilitates/hinders satisfaction of core needs for acceptance and belonging (connecting and disconnecting pathways). However, little research has, to date, explicitly tested this framework.

METHODS

Both pathways were explored in a cross-sectional sample of UK adults at the start of the pandemic (N = 632) and in longitudinal (cross-lagged) analyses (N = 227-240). Participants completed measures of online and offline socialising with friends and family (connecting pathway), and online and offline social comparisons (disconnecting pathway), anxiety, depression and loneliness.

RESULTS

In cross-sectional analyses higher levels of online comparisons were associated with poorer mental health, an effect that survived after controlling for offline comparisons, and was partially mediated by loneliness. Counter to our predictions, online socialising was also associated with poorer mental health. Longitudinal analyses did not support predicted directions of causality.

LIMITATIONS

Limitations include a lack of testing of individual-level moderators, the use of single item questions to probe some constructs, and an inability to test for effects potentially operating at different time-scales.

CONCLUSIONS

The findings reported partially support the interpersonal-connections-behaviour framework in highlighting a disconnecting (but not connecting) pathway between online engagement and mental health. From a clinical perspective they highlight the importance of including people's online lives when considering mental health risk and resilience, particularly (one might argue) during periods of social isolation.

The Psychology of Personalization in Digital Environments: From Motivation to Well-Being – A Theoretical Integration

The personalization of digital environments is becoming ubiquitous due to the rise of AI-based algorithms and recommender systems. Arguably, this technological development has far-reaching consequences for individuals and societies alike. In this article, we propose a psychological model of the effects of personalization in digital environments, which connects personalization with motivational tendencies, psychological needs, and well-being. Based on the model, we review studies from three areas of application—news feeds and websites, music streaming, and online dating—to explain both the positive and the negative effects of personalization on individuals. We conclude that personalization can lead to desirable outcomes such as reducing choice overload. However, personalized digital environments without transparency and without the option for users to play an active role in the personalization process potentially pose a danger to human well-being. Design recommendations as well as avenues for future research that follow from these conclusions are being discussed.

A trans-diagnostic cognitive behavioural conceptualisation of the positive and negative roles of social media use in adolescents’ mental health and wellbeing

Whilst research into the association between social media and mental health is growing, clinical interest in the field has been dominated by a lack of theoretical integration and a focus on pathological patterns of use. Here we present a trans-diagnostic cognitive behavioural conceptualisation of the positive and negative roles of social media use in adolescence, with a focus on how it interacts with common mental health difficulties. Drawing on clinical experience and an integration of relevant theory/literature, the model proposes that particular patterns of social media use be judged as helpful/unhelpful to the extent that they help/hinder the adolescent from satisfying core needs, particularly those relating to acceptance and belonging. Furthermore, it introduces several key interacting processes, including purposeful/habitual modes of engagement, approach/avoidance behaviours, as well as the potential for social media to exacerbate/ameliorate cognitive biases. The purpose of the model is to act as an aide for therapists to collaboratively formulate the role of social media in young people’s lives, with a view to informing treatment, and ultimately, supporting the development of interventions to help young people use social media in the service of their needs and values.

Key learning aims

(1)

No effect of different types of media on well-being

It is often assumed that traditional forms of media such as books enhance well-being, whereas new media do not. However, we lack evidence for such claims and media research is mainly focused on how much time people spend with a medium, but not whether someone used a medium or not. We explored the effect of media use during one week on well-being at the end of the week, differentiating time spent with a medium and use versus nonuse, over a wide range of different media types: music, TV, films, video games, (e-)books, (digital) magazines, and audiobooks. Results from a six-week longitudinal study representative of the UK population 16 years and older (N = 2159) showed that effects were generally small; between-person relations but rarely within-person effects; mostly for use versus nonuse and not time spent with a medium; and on affective well-being, not life satisfaction.

Media use, attention, mental health and academic performance among 8 to 12 year old children

The rise in digital media consumption, especially among children, raises the societal question of its impact on cognition, mental health and academic achievement. Here, we investigate three different ways of measuring technology use--total hours of media consumed, hours of video game play and number of media used concurrently--in 118 eight-to-twelve year-old children. At stake is the question of whether different technology uses have different effects, which could explain some of the past mixed findings. We collected data about children's media uses as well as (i) attentional and behavioral control abilities, (ii) psychological distress, psychosocial functioning, and sleep, and (iii) academic achievement and motivation. While attentional control abilities were assessed using both cognitive tests and questionnaires, mental health and sleep were all questionnaire-based. Finally, academic performance was based on self-reported grades, with motivational variables being measured through the grit and the growth-mindset questionnaires. We present partial correlation analyses and construct a psychological network to assess the structural associations between different forms of media consumption and the three categories of measures. We observe that children consume large amounts of media and media multitask substantially. Partial correlation analyses show that media multitasking specifically was mostly correlated with negative mental health, while playing video games was associated with faster responding and better mental health. No significant partial correlations were observed for total hours on media. Psychological network analysis complement these first results by indicating that all three ways of consuming technology are only indirectly related to self-reported grades. Thus, technology uses appear to only indirectly relate to academic performance, while more directly affecting mental health. This work emphasizes the need to differentiate among technology uses if one is to understand how every day digital consumption impacts human behavior.

Reopening after lockdown: The influence of working-from-home and digital device use on sleep, physical activity, and wellbeing following COVID-19 lockdown and reopening

Study Objectives

COVID-19 lockdowns drastically affected sleep, physical activity, and wellbeing. We studied how these behaviors evolved during reopening the possible contributions of continued working from home and smartphone usage.

Methods

Participants (N = 198) were studied through the lockdown and subsequent reopening period, using a wearable sleep/activity tracker, smartphone-delivered ecological momentary assessment (EMA), and passive smartphone usage tracking. Work/study location was obtained through daily EMA ascertainment.

Results

Upon reopening, earlier, shorter sleep and increased physical activity were observed, alongside increased self-rated stress and poorer evening mood ratings. These reopening changes were affected by post-lockdown work arrangements and patterns of smartphone usage. Individuals who returned to work or school in-person tended toward larger shifts to earlier sleep and wake timings. Returning to in-person work/school also correlated with more physical activity. Contrary to expectation, there was no decrease in objectively measured smartphone usage after reopening. A cluster analysis showed that persons with relatively heavier smartphone use prior to bedtime had later sleep timings and lower physical activity.

Conclusions

These observations indicate that the reopening after lockdown was accompanied by earlier sleep timing, increased physical activity, and altered mental wellbeing. Moreover, these changes were affected by work/study arrangements and smartphone usage patterns.

Social Media as Source of Information, Stress Symptoms, and Burden Caused by Coronavirus (COVID-19)

Abstract. This cross-national study investigated the extent of social media use (SMU) as a source of information about COVID-19, and its relationship with the experienced burden caused by the pandemic. Representative data from eight countries (France, Germany, Poland, Russia, Spain, Sweden, the UK, the USA) were collected online (end of May to the beginning of June 2020). Of the overall 8,302 participants, 48.1% frequently used social media (SM) as a COVID-19 information source (range: 31.8% in Germany, to 65.4% in Poland). In the overall samples and in all country-specific samples, regression analyses revealed the experienced burden caused by COVID-19 to be positively associated with SMU and stress symptoms. Furthermore, stress symptoms partly mediated the relationship between SMU and the burden. The results emphasize the significant association between the use of SM as a source of information, individual emotional state, and behavior during the pandemic, as well as the significance of conscious and accurate use of SM specifically during the COVID-19 outbreak.