Digital disconnection, digital inequality, and subjective
well-being: a mobile experience sampling study

Digital disconnection, digital inequality, and subjective
well-being: a mobile experience sampling study

digital disconnection, digital detox, digital inequality, subjective well-being, preregistration, ecological momentary assessment.

Drawing on theories of digital media (non-)use and well-being, this study examines how voluntary disconnection relates to subjective well-being
and what role digital skills play in this relationship. We rely on mobile experience sampling methods to link nuanced disconnection practices
throughout the day (e.g., putting screen devices away and muting notifications) with momentary experiences of well-being. We collected 4,028
responses from 105 mobile media users over the course of one week. Multilevel regression analyses revealed neither significant within-person
effects of disconnection on affective well-being, social connectedness, or life satisfaction, nor a significant moderation effect of digital skills.
Exploratory analyses, however, show that effects of disconnection on well-being vary greatly across participants, and that effects are dependent
on whether one disconnects in the physical copresence of others. Our study offers a refined perspective on the consequences, or lack thereof,
of deliberate non-use of technology in the digital age.

Minh Hao Nguyen 1,* and Eszter Hargittai 2

https://doi.org/10.1093/jcmc/zmad044

Oxford University Press on behalf of International Communication Association.

27 September 2023

PERI IRAWAN

PDF

ENGLISH

TEXT