unplugging
Definition
Unplugging refers to the voluntary decision to refrain from all digital media and online content, including internet-based television, radio, digital newspapers, smartphones, and social media apps, for a defined period such as 24 hours. The experience is associated with measurable reductions in well-being: participants in both a Chinese sample and an Australian sample reported more negative emotions and, in the Chinese sample, lower life satisfaction during the disconnection period. A primary psychological mechanism behind this distress is the loss of perceived social support, with social isolation showing a particularly strong correlation with negative emotions during unplugging, reaching r = .83 in the Australian sample. Conspiracy mentality predicts who responds most negatively, because individuals higher in conspiracy beliefs rely more heavily on online communities for social support and identity affirmation, leaving them more vulnerable when that access is removed.
Sources: Jetten et al. (2023)
Related Terms
- social media (1 shared article)
- social isolation (1 shared article)
- well-being (1 shared article)
- conspiracy beliefs (1 shared article)
Applications
Unplugging and Conspiracy Mentality
Across two independent samples totalling 199 participants, higher conspiracy mentality scores were associated with significantly more negative emotions during a 24-hour unplugging experience. The relationship was mediated by social isolation and reduced social support, reflecting the degree to which conspiracy believers depend on online communities to affirm their beliefs and maintain group identity.
Sources: Jetten et al. (2023)
Unplugging and Social Isolation
Feelings of social isolation during unplugging were robustly linked to negative emotional outcomes, with correlation coefficients of r = .66 in the Chinese sample and r = .83 in the Australian sample. This pattern held across both a collectivistic and an individualistic cultural context, indicating that the loss of online social connection during unplugging is a general, cross-cultural source of distress rather than a culturally specific one.
Sources: Jetten et al. (2023)
Unplugging and Negative Emotions
Unplugging was consistently associated with increased negative emotions in both samples studied, with the effect appearing regardless of cultural background. The mechanism identified is the perceived loss of social support that online connectivity provides, rather than any direct property of digital media use itself.
Sources: Jetten et al. (2023)
