A Bibliometric Review of Technostress: Historical Roots, Evolution and Central Publications of a Growing Research Field

While previous research has provided critical insights into the different perspectives, methods, and theories on technostress, there is currently no bibliometric review available that clarifies the evolution and structure of the field. We use three bibliometric methods to assess the body of 252 technostress publications until 2019: reference publication year spectroscopy, co-word analysis, and co-citation analysis. In doing so, we analyze how the technostress field has evolved over time, clarify the interconnected concepts forming the discourse and identify the most influential works

Exploring Early Adolescents\u27 Problem-Focused Strategies for Coping With Stressful IT Use Experiences

In today’s technology-oriented world, individuals’ ability to cope with information technology (IT) has become increasingly important. This is especially relevant for early adolescents, who are expected to use IT from an early age on as part of their everyday lives. Although early adolescents’ IT use and its outcomes have been studied, their related coping strategies have received less attention. The current study focuses on early adolescents’ problem-focused strategies used to cope with stressful IT use experiences. The underlying data consist of semistructured interviews with 31 early adolescents. The results show that the strategies used by early adolescents differ in terms of their pervasiveness and level of IT use. Additionally, we reveal details about the connections of the strategies within different contexts, such as school and leisure. Although this study provides important insights for understanding early adolescents’ coping strategies, more research is needed to assess the effectiveness of these strategies

Problematic smartphone use: an empirically validated model

Given the prominent role that smartphones have in everyday life, research in the field has proliferated. From a theoretical perspective, problematic smartphone use (PSPU) is described as a multi-faceted phenomenon entailing a variety of dysfunctional manifestations (e.g., addictive, antisocial and dangerous use). To date, however, there is still a lack of empirical evidence supporting the identification of PSPU as a potential behavioural addiction. Driven by theory, the aim of the present study was to provide an empirically validated model by testing the contribution of specific factors leading to PSPU. Relationships among individual characteristics (internalised psychopathology, impulsivity and personality traits) and PSPU uses (addictive, antisocial and dangerous) were investigated according to the updated version of the theoretical framework provided by the Pathway Model of problematic smartphone use (Billieux et al., 2015). An online survey was administered to a convenience sample (N = 511) of smartphone users in order to examine their daily engagement, problematic usage patterns and related psychological correlates. Path analysis revealed important information about different PSPU components and results are discussed in light of the available literature. Recommendations for future research are proposed to further investigate the problematic behaviour, including the study of additional variables, such as the fear of missing out (FoMO), nomophobia and excessive social media use

Exploring Early Adolescents' Problem-Focused Strategies for Coping With Stressful IT Use Experiences

In today’s technology-oriented world, individuals’ ability to cope with information technology (IT) has become increasingly important. This is especially relevant for early adolescents, who are expected to use IT from an early age on as part of their everyday lives. Although early adolescents’ IT use and its outcomes have been studied, their related coping strategies have received less attention. The current study focuses on early adolescents’ problem-focused strategies used to cope with stressful IT use experiences. The underlying data consist of semistructured interviews with 31 early adolescents. The results show that the strategies used by early adolescents differ in terms of their pervasiveness and level of IT use. Additionally, we reveal details about the connections of the strategies within different contexts, such as school and leisure. Although this study provides important insights for understanding early adolescents’ coping strategies, more research is needed to assess the effectiveness of these strategies.publishedVersionPeer reviewe

Genetic and environmental sources of nomophobia: a small-scale Turkish twin study

Nomophobia is considered to be a form of behavioral addiction, namely the fear of being out of mobile phone contact. Despite many studies on the prevalence and correlates of mobile phone addiction, not much is known about its etiological nature. The purpose of this study is to reveal the extent to which nomophobia is affected by genetic and environmental factors. The participants were 125 Turkish twin-pairs. Nomophobia was measured using the Nomophobia Questionnaire (NMP-Q). The monozygotic (MZ) twin correlations were larger than the dizygotic (DZ) twin correlations in the sub-dimensions of losing connectedness (Factor 2) and giving up convenience (Factor 4), as well as for the overall questionnaire NMP-Total, showing that genetic factors affected scores on these measures. However, the MZ twin correlations were equal to or smaller than the DZ twin correlations in the sub-dimensions of not being able to communicate (Factor 1) and not being able to access (Factor 3), demonstrating that genetic factors did not play a role in the scores on these sub-dimensions. The role of both genetic and environmental factors was investigated using modelfitting analysis. The results indicate the models with best fit to be the ADE models for the sub-dimensions of losing connectedness and giving up convenience, and NMP-Total scores

Stressed, but connected: Adolescents, their perceptions of and coping with peer pressure on Instagram

Unter den Social Network Sites (SNS) hat sich Instagram zu einer der wichtigsten Plattformen für Jugendliche (10-19 Jahre) entwickelt, insbesondere in Deutschland. Sie nutzen die Plattform zum Austausch von Erfahrungen und Inhalten und vor allem zur Interaktion mit Gleichaltrigen. Normen, die von der Peer-Group definiert werden, können ihr Verhalten sowohl online als auch offline beeinflussen. Dieser Einfluss auf die Anpassung der eigenen Bedürfnisse an die Erwartungen im Umfeld wird als Druck wahrgenommen. Wie Jugendliche diesen Druck von ihrer Peer-Gruppe im Detail auf Instagram wahrnehmen und wie sie damit umgehen, stand bisher selten im Mittelpunkt qualitativer Forschung. Welche Muster und möglichen Bewältigungsstrategien zeigen sich im Verhalten der Jugendlichen? Sind diese Strategien eher problemlösungs- oder vermeidungsorientiert? Der Aufsatz setzt sich mit diesen Fragen auseinander und untersucht anhand von Leitfadeninterviews mit 30 Jugendlichen, welche Strategien sie entwickeln, um mit dem wahrgenommenen Druck umzugehen. Die Befunde zeigen, dass die Peer-Group positive und negative Effekte bei der Instagram-Nutzung auf Heranwachsende haben kann. Sie stellt für sie eine wichtige Bezugsgrösse dar; ein Effekt, der durch die Natur der Plattform noch verstärkt wird, die zwischenmenschliche Verbindungen mit Gleichaltrigen ermöglicht. Gleichzeitig verspüren Heranwachsende den Druck, mit der Gruppe kommunizieren und deren ästhetischen Idealen auf Instagram folgen zu müssen, um nicht aus der Gruppe ausgeschlossen oder anderweitig sanktioniert zu werden. Um mit diesem wahrgenommenen Gruppendruck umzugehen, entwickeln die Heranwachsenden verschiedene aktive und vermeidende Bewältigungsstrategien, u.a. indem sie sich selbst ein mediales Umfeld entsprechend ihrer Bedürfnisse gestalten, sich gegenseitig unterstützen und im eigenen Handeln bestärken. Diese Bewältigungsstrategien kann die Peer-Group wiederum positiv oder negative beeinflussen. Die Peer-Group kann zum Beispiel dabei helfen, mit Gruppendruck umzugehen und Erfahrungen teilen zu können. Negativ bestimmt sie die Bewältigung des Gruppendrucks, da Heranwachsende den Gruppennormen ohne Rücksicht auf ihre persönlichen Interessen entsprechen müssen. Die Befunde unterstreichen die Notwendigkeit, Heranwachsende bei der Bewältigung dieser Formen von Gruppendruck zu unterstützen. Um handeln zu können und dem wahrgenommenen Druck entgegenzuwirken, benötigen Jugendliche motivationale, emotionale und reflexive Fähigkeiten, die durch medienpädagogische Angebote gefördert werden können.Among social network sites (SNS), Instagram has become one of the most important platforms for adolescents (age 10–19 years), especially in Germany. They use it to share experiences and meaningful content and above all, to interact with their peers. Norms, defined by the peer group, influence adolescents’ behavior, online as much as offline. This influence on aligning one’s needs with expectations in the SNS environment leads to pressure. How adolescents perceive this pressure from their peer group in detail on Instagram and how they cope with it has seldom been the focus of qualitative research within communication studies thus far. What patterns and potential coping strategies become apparent in adolescents’ behavior? Do these strategies tend to be problem-solving or avoidant oriented? This paper addresses this need and uses in-depth interviews, drawn via purposive sampling, with 30 adolescents to investigate the strategies adolescents develop to cope with perceived forms of peer pressure. Results show that the peer group has both positive and negative effects on adolescents. Positive in that they are an important reference for adolescents, an effect, that is enhanced by Instagram, which allows interpersonal connections with peers. Then again negative in that adolescents, among other things, feel pressure to communicate with the group and to follow its aesthetic ideals at Instagram in order not to be excluded from the group or otherwise sanctioned. In order to deal with this perceived peer pressure, adolescents develop both active (problem-solving oriented) and avoidant coping strategies, including designing their own media environment according to their needs, supporting each other, and encouraging each other in their own actions. In these coping strategies, the peer group can again have positive or negative impacts. Positive, e.g., as adolescents can share their experiences; negative, e.g., as adolescents might obey the group norms disregarding their personal interests. The findings thus highlight the need to support adolescents in coping with these forms of peer pressure. To be able to act and counter the perceived pressure, adolescents need motivational, emotional, and reflexive skills that can be promoted through media literacy programs