Alone with my phone? Examining beliefs about solitude and technology use in adolescence

Abstract

In this study, we examined how technology impacts adolescents’ perceptions of, and affective responses to solitude, as well as how adolescents’ own motivations for solitude (shyness, affinity for aloneness) were related to these reactions. Participants were N = 437 adolescents (297 girls; Mage = 16.15 years, standard deviation ( SD) = .50) who were presented with a series of hypothetical vignettes asking them to imagine themselves in the context of pure solitude (alone in their room with the door closed), as well as being physically alone but engaged in increasing levels of virtual social engagement, including passive (e.g., watching videos, scrolling, but no direct social engagement), active (e.g., texting), and audio-visual (e.g., Facetime) technology use. Following each vignette, participants reported their perceptions of being alone and positive/negative affective responses. We also measured general motivations for solitude (shyness, affinity for aloneness). Among the results, adolescents perceived themselves as less alone in vignettes depicting increasing virtual social engagement. Affective benefits of increased virtual engagement were also found (e.g., less loneliness/boredom/sadness, greater social connection/contentment). However, these effects were moderated by solitude motivations, with different patterns evident as a function of participant shyness and affinity for aloneness. Findings highlight the importance of considering the nature of adolescents’ technology use when alone, as well as motivations for solitude, when considering links between solitude and well-being.

Canadian adolescents’ solitude experiences, self-perceptions, and well-being

“…The current decade presents adolescents with ever-growing possibilities for managing their solitude or time spent alone. Recent developments in digital communication and online resources introduce novel channels for social interactions as well as increased opportunities for spending time alone productively (Bamps et al, 2022;Coplan et al, 2022;Verduyn et al, 2021). The present study focused on these basic social and physical conditions (physically alone/or physically with others), on the choice of being in these contexts, and on their interactive influence on well-being.…”

“…Finally, based on past studies that suggest that solitary preferences and experiences may differ across adolescence (Hipson et al, 2021), and that girls and boys may have different motivations for being alone and have different thoughts and feelings while alone (McVarnock & Closson, 2022), we checked for differences in girls' and boys' responses, as well as between early and mid-late adolescence. Based on past research, we expected to find that older youth would report more positive feelings and preferences for solitude compared to younger youth, as well as spend more of their physical alone time on-line compared to younger with increased social and academic pressures becoming more digitized (Coplan et al, 2022).…”

A lifespan psychological perspective on solitude

“…Some researchers suggest that solitude may be better conceptualized as non-communication (Campbell & Ross, 2022). Coplan and colleagues (Coplan et al, in press) provide key empirical insights on this from a Canadian sample of adolescents by showing that solitude may occur on a continuum from being physically alone without socially interacting, to texting another person, to virtually engaging via voice and video. A second question pertains to who benefits from technology-mediated communication and under what circumstances.…”

“…Most people spend a significant amount of their waking time by themselves (Larson, 1990; Lay et al, 2019; Pauly et al, 2016, 2018). Solitude is a state that is typically defined by physical aloneness or the absence of social interaction (Burger, 1995; Coplan et al, in press; Larson, 1990; Nikitin & Ristl, in press; Tsang et al, in press; White et al, in press). As such, solitude is distinct from loneliness (the subjective perception of lacking desired social contact; Perlman & Peplau, 1981), social isolation (an objective scarcity of social connections; Holt-Lunstad et al, 2015), and shyness (discomfort or inhibition in the presence of others; Cheek & Buss, 1981).…”

“…This may be particularly true in today’s world given the high number of households with only one resident, smaller core networks, technology increasing time spent at home, and communication technology changing how solitude may be defined (Campbell & Ross, 2022; Cohen, 2021; Hampton et al, 2011; Vilhelmson et al, 2017). Building on the idea that solitude need not be negative (Coplan, Hipson et al, 2019; Lay et al, 2019), this special issue features research on solitude defined by physical aloneness or an absence of social interaction (Coplan et al, in press; Nikitin & Ristl, in press; Tsang et al, in press; White et al, in press), as well as volitional activities by oneself (positive solitude; Bachman et al, in press).…”