"I urgently need your advice" - digital stress experiences and social support in online forums

  • One downside of digitalization is the digital stress that stems from widespread information and communication technologies (ICTs). Previous studies on digital stress have pointed to several ICT-related stressors. However, less is known about how digital stress takes shape in people’s lives and which interventions are perceived to be helpful. We conducted a qualitative content analysis of 50 threads (523 posts) on contemporary digital stress experiences in people’s professional and private lives. Results show that digital stress was mostly caused by other people’s ICT use—not the thread creator’s own use—and often involved interpersonal conflicts. In the professional context, digital stress experiences were mostly related to (expected) permanent availability; in the private context, they referred to the communication behavior of others. In response, informational support (i.e., coping recommendations) clearly outweighed emotional support. Overall, our findings demonstrate that digitalOne downside of digitalization is the digital stress that stems from widespread information and communication technologies (ICTs). Previous studies on digital stress have pointed to several ICT-related stressors. However, less is known about how digital stress takes shape in people’s lives and which interventions are perceived to be helpful. We conducted a qualitative content analysis of 50 threads (523 posts) on contemporary digital stress experiences in people’s professional and private lives. Results show that digital stress was mostly caused by other people’s ICT use—not the thread creator’s own use—and often involved interpersonal conflicts. In the professional context, digital stress experiences were mostly related to (expected) permanent availability; in the private context, they referred to the communication behavior of others. In response, informational support (i.e., coping recommendations) clearly outweighed emotional support. Overall, our findings demonstrate that digital stress is more than just an intrapersonal psychological stress reaction caused by digital technologies. It is, namely, a social phenomenon that calls for a broader conceptualization of the traditionally psychological concept of stress.show moreshow less

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Metadaten
Author:Cordula NitschORCiDGND, Susanne KinnebrockORCiDGND
URN:urn:nbn:de:bvb:384-opus4-1063351
Frontdoor URLhttps://opus.bibliothek.uni-augsburg.de/opus4/106335
URL:https://ijoc.org/index.php/ijoc/article/view/19523/
ISSN:1932–8036OPAC
Parent Title (English):International Journal of Communication
Publisher:The Annenberg Center for Communication
Place of publication:Los Angeles, CA
Type:Article
Language:English
Year of first Publication:2023
Publishing Institution:Universität Augsburg
Release Date:2023/07/25
Volume:17
First Page:4037
Last Page:4056
Institutes:Philosophisch-Sozialwissenschaftliche Fakultät
Philosophisch-Sozialwissenschaftliche Fakultät / imwk - Institut für Medien, Wissen und Kommunikation
Philosophisch-Sozialwissenschaftliche Fakultät / imwk - Institut für Medien, Wissen und Kommunikation / Professur für Kommunikationswissenschaft mit Schwerpunkt Öffentliche Kommunikation
Dewey Decimal Classification:3 Sozialwissenschaften / 30 Sozialwissenschaften, Soziologie / 300 Sozialwissenschaften
Licence (German):CC-BY-NC-ND 4.0: Creative Commons: Namensnennung - Nicht kommerziell - Keine Bearbeitung (mit Print on Demand)