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More than 70 % of young Dutch people use mobile Internet and multi-media applications on their smartphones and other devices (Statistics Netherlands, 2013). This aligns with the prominent trend in Western society termed “permanently online” (PO) or “permanently connected” (PC). Many people are concerned that these devices present a permanent source of distraction from relationships, class, work, and other important areas of life. As a result, there are worries that being PO and/or PC has detrimental effect on well-being. Recent studies indicate that the degree to which individuals perceive their own degree of POPC as problematic, is related to well-being, rather than the frequency of being online or connected (Harwood, Dooley, Scott, & Joiner, 2014). Currently, we do not know much about such problematic POPC, including who is most at risk. The current study therefore aimed to identify such risk factors. Specifically, we investigated whether people who perceive their POPC as problematic are more likely to 1) be online or connected in specific situations, 2) report specific motivations for being online or connected, and 3) display certain personality traits.
To address these questions we conducted an exploratory survey among Dutch university students (N = 198). Results show that perception of problematic use is moderately related to frequency of PO/PC, regardless of type of situation. However, participants who were more likely to go online to alleviate boredom or to escape from offline problems perceived their POPC as more problematic. Furthermore, problematic POPC was higher among students who reported more fear of missing out (FoMO), but was not related to need for popularity (NfP) or need to belong (NtB). These findings may indicate that problematic POPC occurs among individuals who use their devices to alleviate unpleasant states, such as thinking about offline problems, boredom, and fear of missing out. The proposed panel with POPC experts would offer the chance to discuss how these findings offer directions for further research into how, why, and among who problematic smartphone use may develop and how this may be counteracted.
Niklas Johannes, University of Amsterdam
Dian Afina de Vries, Amsterdam School of Communication Research