Predictors of Acceptance and Rejection of Online Peer Support Groups as a Digital Wellbeing Tool

Abstract

Digital media usage can be problematic; exhibiting symptoms of behavioural addiction such as mood modification, tolerance, conflict, salience, withdrawal symptoms and relapse. Google Digital Wellbeing and Apple Screen Time are examples of an emerging family of tools to help people have a healthier and more conscious relationship with technology. Peer support groups is a known technique for behaviour change and relapse prevention. It can be facilitated online, especially with advanced social networking techniques. Elements of peer support groups are being already embedded in digital wellbeing tools, e.g. peer comparisons, peer commitments, collective usage limit-setting and family time. However, there is a lack of research about the factors influencing people acceptance and rejection of online peer support groups to enhance digital wellbeing. Previous work has qualitatively explored the acceptance and rejection factors to join and participate in such groups. In this paper, we quantitatively study the relationship between culture, personality, self-control, gender, willingness to join the groups and perception of their usefulness, on such acceptance and rejection factors. The qualitative phase included two focus groups and 16 interviews while the quantitative phase consisted of a survey (215 participants). We found a greater number of significant models to predict rejection factors than acceptance factors, although in all cases the amount of variance explained by the models was relatively small. This demonstrates the need to design and, also, introduce such technique in a contextualised and personalised style to avoid rejection and reactance.

Designing for Digital Wellbeing: From Theory to Practice a Scoping Review

“…A third group of scholars, such as [43,[69][70][71][72], referred to Google's DWB tools or Google's statement of commitment "giving everyone the tools they need to develop their own sense of digital wellbeing." Google's commitment statement emphasised providing enabling tools for users to enhance their lives by stressing that first, technology represents tools in life, not the life itself as it is a virtual medium, and that second, users have complete autonomy to design the tools to protect their well-being (user centred).…”

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“…A quick review of subjective wellbeing was also presented. Several private and fundamental factors affected the validity and negation of the digital community outreach network as a method for improving wellbeing, as well as how it impacts others and creates both undesirable and good characteristics, according to McAlaney et al (8).…”

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“…DiB tüm dünyada üzerine araştırmalar yürütülen ve son yıllarda farklı araştırma konularında yer alan önemli bir kavram haline gelmiştir (11)(12)(13)(14)(15)(16)(17). Türkiye'de DiB kavramı ile ilgili yapılan araştırmalarda ölçek geliştirme çalışmaları olduğu görülmektedir (18)(19)(20).…”