Digital Addiction: Negative Life Experiences and Potential for Technology-Assisted Solutions

Abstract

There is a growing acceptance of the association between obsessive, compulsive and excessive usage of digital media, e.g., games and social networks, and users' wellbeing, whether personal, economic or social. While specific causal relations between such Digital Addiction (DA) and the negative life experience can be debated, we argue in this paper that, nevertheless, technology can play a role in preventing or raising awareness of its pathological or problematic usage styles, e.g. through monitoring usage and enabling interactive awareness messages. We perform a literature review, with the primary aim of gathering the range negative life experiences associated with DA. We then conduct two focus groups to help gather users' perception of the key findings from the literature. Finally, we perform a qualitative analysis of experts and practitioners' interviews and comments from a user survey on DA warning labels. As a result, we develop eight families of the negative life experiences associated with DA, examine the role of software in facilitating the reduction of such negative experiences, and consider the challenges that may be encountered in the process.

Combating Fear of Missing Out (FoMO) on Social Media: The FoMO-R Method

“…Researchers have recently begun to explore the negative consequences of FoMO that are faced by social media users. FoMO is a main type of problematic attachment to social media, and is associated with a range of negative life experiences and feelings, such as a lack of sleep, reduced life competency, emotional tension, negative effects on physical well-being, anxiety and a lack of emotional control [ 3 , 4 ]. Despite indicators of the effect of FoMO on users’ well-being, guidance and tools that allow people to manage it are still not available.…”

Overwhelmed by Technostress? Sensitive Archetypes and Effects in Times of Forced Digitalization

“…According to the literature review, the dimensions of technostress as a frame of reference were considered: anxiety, ineffectiveness of beliefs, fatigue, and skepticism, and related to the use of technologies that can be measured with the RED General Questionnaire [ 65 ]. The different negative consequences have been approached from those proposed by Cham et al [ 26 ]. This work of digital addiction has been considered, grouping the items according to the dimensions of the effects of technostress at the individual, group and organizational level [ 26 ].…”

“…Much of the research on social networks and organizations has focused on their possible negative and destructive consequences at work [ 24 ] because, just as with smart phones, social media misuse can promote problems for employees. Overdependence on such media could, in some cases, be attributed to emotional escapism (from stress, depression, and other real-life problems) [ 26 ]. It is relevant that the exhaustion of social networks significantly reduces individual work performance [ 27 , 28 ].…”

“…In general terms, technostress can have different individual consequences. These can be physical consequences (since technostress can have negative consequences on the health of those who suffer from it, being able to favor, among others, headaches, muscle aches, and gastrointestinal disorders), problems related to adequate rest favoring difficulty sleeping and monitoring irregular sleep patterns and can generate erratic dietary behavior [ 26 ] that in the medium term can lead to serious problems in the body. All these problems can have repercussions in other spheres.…”

“…Technostress can have social consequences. They can favor negative experiences in family life [ 52 ], and the excessive use of technology can lead to reduced face-to-face communication and privacy-related problems [ 26 ].…”