Citation

Johannes N, Veling H, Dora J, Meier A, Reinecke L, Buijzen M. Cyberpsychol. Behav. Soc. Netw. 2018; ePub(ePub): ePub.

Affiliation

1 Behavioural Science Institute, Radboud University , Nijmegen, Netherlands .

Copyright

(Copyright © 2018, Mary Ann Liebert Publishers)

DOI

10.1089/cyber.2018.0373

PMID

30499683

Abstract

As mobile technology allows users to be online anywhere and at all times, a growing number of users report feeling constantly alert and preoccupied with online streams of online information and communication-a phenomenon that has recently been termed online vigilance. Despite its growing prevalence, consequences of this constant orientation toward online streams of information and communication for users' well-being are largely unclear. In the present study, we investigated whether being constantly vigilant is related to cognitive consequences in the form of increased mind-wandering and decreased mindfulness and examined the resulting implications for well-being. To test our assumptions, we estimated a path model based on survey data (N = 371). The model supported the majority of our preregistered hypotheses: online vigilance was indeed related to mind-wandering and mindfulness, but only mindfulness mediated the relationship with decreased well-being. Thus, those mentally preoccupied with online communication were overall less satisfied with their lives and reported less affective well-being when they also experienced reduced mindfulness.

Language: en

Keywords

mind-wandering; mindfulness; smartphones; vigilance; well-being