Hyperconnectivity and digital resignation among higher education
students
La hiperconexión y la resignación digital entre el estudiantado de enseñanza
superior
doxa.comunicación |
nº 38, pp. 99-118
| 99
January-June of 2024
ISSN: 1696-019X / e-ISSN: 2386-3978
How to cite this article:
Casas-Mas, B. and Homont, L. P. P. (2024). Hyperconnectivity and digital resignation among higher education students.
Doxa Comunicación
,
38, pp. 99-118.
https://doi.org/10.31921/doxacom.n38a2056
Belén Casas-Mas.
European PhD and Master’s in Social Communication from the University Complutense of
Madrid (UCM). Extraordinary PhD Award in 2017. Associate Professor in the Sociology Department at the Faculty
of Information Sciences of the University Complutense of Madrid (UCM), where she has been teaching since 2013.
Director of
Mediaciones Sociales, Revista de ciencias Sociales y de la Comunicación
since 2018. Member of the University
Complutense of Madrid (UCM) research groups Data Science and Soft Computing for Social Analytics and Decision
Aid
(DISCUSS) and Social Identities and Communication. Reviewer for various scientic journals such as Labor Studies
Journal,
Revista Española de Investigaciones Sociológicas (REIS), Documentación de las Ciencias de la Información,
Política y Sociedad
. She is the author of articles published in scientic journals (JCR and SCOPUS). Her main lines of
research are Political Communication and Participation, Social Network Analysis, Virtualization of Communication,
Social Identities and Social Conict. Currently, she is researching in the eld of communication on social networks,
specializing in the polarization of political and social debates and the analysis of hate speech.
University Complutense of Madrid (UCM), Spain
[email protected]
ORCID: 0000-0001-8329-0856
Louis Pierre Philippe Homont.
Assistant Professor in the Department of Sociology: Methodology and eory at
the Faculty of Information Sciences of the University Complutense of Madrid (UCM). He serves as the secretary of
Mediaciones Sociales, Revista de ciencias Sociales y de la Comunicación
and is a member of the University Complutense
of Madrid (UCM) Research Group "Social Identities and Communication". Currently, he is a PhD candidate in the
Audiovisual Communication, Advertising, and Public Relations program at the University Complutense of Madrid
(UCM), working on his dissertation on communication in the public sector and digital citizen participation. His main
research areas include political communication, public sector communication, the management of intangible assets in
the public sector, and digital communication. Among his recent research projects are studies on populism and national
populism as strategies in political communication, the use of digital media to engage citizens in collective aairs
management, and the eects of such media on university students. Currently, he continues to focus on populism, the
digital co-production of public services, and the digitisation of social relationships.
University Complutense of Madrid (UCM), Spain
E-mail:
[email protected]
ORCID: 0000-0003-1947-6407
is content is published under Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial License. International License CC BY-NC 4.0
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100 |
nº 38, pp. 99-118
|
January-June of 2024
Hyperconnectivity and digital resignation among higher education students
ISSN: 1696-019X / e-ISSN: 2386-3978
doxa.comunicación
1. Introduction
Over the last two decades, society has become increasingly dependent on ICTs (Information and Communication Technologies)
(Aguilar and Terán, 2021), which have permeated every area of social life (Hepp, 2020) providing new opportunities for leisure,
expression and social relations (Carrazco
et al.
, 2018), among other aspects. is has occurred so rapidly that it has imposed
abrupt and disruptive transformations (Aragüez, 2017).
is penetration has raised concerns about the use that can be made of ICTs (Díaz-Vicario
et al.
, 2019; Sánchez-Gómez
et al.
,
2020), especially among young people. Indeed, having grown up with ICTs, young people are their main consumers (González-
Cortés
et al.
, 2020). Within this sector of the population, students represent the main market share (Rodríguez-Ceberio
et al.
,
2019) – they are the group least aected by the digital divide as they have the necessary skills to use ICTs (Fundación Telefónica,
2022) and, consequently, they are the ones who use smartphones
and social networks the most (INE, 2022).
eir high digital consumption, even if it involves new forms of socialisation and school and work performance, may aect their
mental health (Sánchez-Gómez
et al
., 2020). ese negative eects of ICTs on socioemotional life have been termed “techno-
stress” by Taki (2022). According to Sánchez-Gómez
et al
. (2020), this phenomenon manifests itself in two ways. On the one
Received: 26/08/2023- Accepted: 07/12/2023 - Early access: 18/12/2023 - Published: 01/01/2024
Recibido: 26/08/2023 - Aceptado: 07/12/2023 - En edición: 18/12/2023 - Publicado: 01/01/2024
Abstract:
Over the past decades, ICTs have permeated every facet of society, with
a particularly pronounced impact on higher education students. is
study delves into the Internet-mediated interpersonal relationships
of students at the University Complutense of Madrid (UCM), the
representation of habits and the use of ICTs. By means of an online
survey, data were collected from a total sample of 2,893 participants
spanning various disciplines, ages, and academic programs. e
ndings reveal gender and age-based disparities in preferences for
digitally mediated relationships, as well as dysfunctional patterns
associated with digital usage that manifest dierently across age
groups. Students predominantly express a penchant for being
consistently connected to the internet or doing so only, when
necessary, with a minority indicating a lack of enjoyment in digital
connectivity. is study has allowed the identication of a digital
landscape characterized by hyperconnectivity and digital resignation,
the latter emerging as a noteworthy trend in the daily lives of university
students as it may be linked to dysfunctions arising from ICT use.
Keywords:
University students; hyperconnectivity; digital resignation;
interpersonal relationships; ICT dysfunction.
Resumen:
Las TIC han penetrado todos los ámbitos de la sociedad desde hace
décadas. Esta incursión se ha hecho aún más intensa dentro del alum
-
nado de enseñanzas superiores. El objetivo principal de este estudio es
indagar en las relaciones interpersonales del estudiantado de la Uni
-
versidad Complutense de Madrid mediadas por Internet, la represent
-
ación de los hábitos y usos que hacen de las TIC. La recolección de los
datos se realizó mediante una encuesta online entre el estudiantado de
la Universidad Complutense de Madrid (UCM), con una muestra total
de 2.893 participantes de todas las disciplinas, edades y titulaciones. Se
han encontrado diferencias por género y edad en cuanto a las preferen
-
cias en las relaciones mediadas digitalmente, y disfunciones derivadas
de los usos digitales que les afectan según la edad. El estudiantado ar
-
ma principalmente que le gusta estar siempre conectado a Internet o que
lo hace solo cuando es necesario, y son minoría quienes no disfrutan
de la conexión. Estos resultados han permitido identicar un escenar
-
io digital caracterizado por la hiperconexión y la resignación digital,
siendo esta última una nueva tendencia a considerar en la cotidiani
-
dad de su vida universitaria, ya que podría estar ligada a disfunciones
derivadas del uso de las TIC.
Palabras clave:
Estudiantado universitario; hiperconexión; resignación digital;
relaciones interpersonales; disfunciones de las TIC.
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hand, they refer to techno-addiction, dened as the “uncontrollable compulsion to use ICTs for long periods of time, causing
the subject to become absolutely dependent on the technology”. On the other hand, they identify “techno-fatigue”, reected in
the “presence of tiredness, mental fatigue or headache due to prolonged use of technology” (Sánchez-Gómez
et al
., 2020, p. 27).
1.1. Techno-addiction and hyperconnectivity
Until the work of Marks (1990), addiction had solely been conceived as a physical and psycho-emotional dependence on
a chemical substance, without considering its possible association with an activity. Since then, the term addiction has been
dened more broadly – it is understood as an “impulse dependent on a habit of a certain activity or substance use though it has
destructive eects on the physical, social, emotional, and mental health of the individual” (Kesici and Fidan, 2018, p. 235). In the
case of ICTs, we refer to an addiction that takes the form of the overuse of any digital media or platform such as smartphones,
social networks or video games (Cuquerella-Gilabert and García, 2023).
Techno-addiction aects not only individuals, but also their social environment (Carrazco
et al
., 2018). Digital media sometimes
partly monopolise attention (Kesici and Fidan, 2018), as techno-addicted people are unable to curb their impulse towards digital
consumption (Marín
et al.
, 2020), which prevents them from paying attention to others or carrying out other types of activities
– they remain connected despite having to perform other tasks. In fact, the literature has suggested that this addiction is linked
to lower school and work performance (Parra
et al
., 2016), sleep loss (Díaz-Vicario
et al
., 2019) or emotions such as anxiety and
overwhelm (Doval-Avendaño
et al.
, 2018; Marín
et al
., 2020).
Recently, studies in techno-addiction have led to new phenomena that reinforce the idea that a techno-addicted person feels the
need to be permanently connected to the Internet (Carrazco
et al
., 2018). Among other terms, we are referring to nomophobia, i.e.
the phobia of not being able to connect to the network, or FoMO (
Fear of Missing Out
). e latter, understood as the fear of missing
out on experiences and being socially excluded (González-Cortés
et al
., 2020), has been detected especially among millennials
who, as a result, tend to feel more anxiety and/or overwhelm towards the use of ICTs and the management of their social networks
than other generations (Grashyla and Paramita, 2021).
In non-extreme cases, digital media abuse has been referred to in the academic literature as “hyperconnectivity”, understood as
excessive connection to ICTs (Taki, 2022). Like techno-addiction, hyperconnectivity has both individual and social consequences
(Díaz-Vicario
et al
., 2019; Doval-Avendaño
et al
., 2018), such as lower academic performance, fatigue due to sleep deprivation,
or diculties in socialising. is behaviour, mostly present among young people and especially among students, is based on the
pleasure a person feels when going online. When they do not manage to control their impulse to achieve this feeling of pleasure,
i.e. when their hyperconnectivity becomes ritualised, they may be considered as techno-addicted.
Aware of the dysfunctions associated with high ICT usage, some users have changed their behaviour, which responds to a new
phenomenon: disconnection. Dened by Woodstock (2014, p. 1983) as the intentional and signicantly limited use of digital
media, it is further explained as trying to connect as little as possible (Casas-Mas
et al.
, 2023) and is therefore regarded as a
response to hyperconnectivity and digital resignation.
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1.2. Digital resignation as an instrumental form of ICT adaptation
Unlike the techno-addicted or hyperconnected, other types of users manage to have a non-problematic use of ICTs, which they
employ, for example, to maintain or consolidate relationships previously established in the oine
space (Villalón, 2016). Velarde
and Casas-Mas (2018), in their study on digital media and university students, refer to people who prefer to relate more in person
than virtually as instrumental consumers. is way of using ICTs is utilitarian, intentional, and voluntary, which contrasts with
the ritual and/or addictive use of digital media (Doval-Avendaño
et al.
, 2018). e instrumental consumption of digital media
could represent a user’s response to the harmful consequences of techno-addiction and hyperconnection and, therefore, be
linked to greater academic eciency, the desire to improve social relationships, or to try new forms of leisure. Additionally, this
consumption diers from disconnection in that the instrumental user connects for specic purposes but does not avoid using the
Internet. However, a disconnected person tries not to use digital media at all.
However, on many occasions, it can be challenging for the user to sustain instrumental digital consumption given the number
of inputs they are subjected to daily (e.g., email, social media, etc.) (Velarde and Casas-Mas, 2018). It is also worth mentioning
the necessity for students to connect to the Internet to carry out university tasks, such as information retrieval, completing
assignments, or submitting them to professors. erefore, even if they prefer face-to-face interactions, instrumental users may
have no choice but to accept the digital realm, in other words, to resign themselves.
e concept of resignation has been considered under the term “fatalistic passivity” by Forman (1963, p. 289) when he observed,
during the Cold War, that when a nuclear attack alarm sounded in an American city, citizens did not react and continued with
their activities. Forman suggested that they behaved this way either out of inertia due to not knowing how to act, not believing the
alarm was real, or not seeing the point of taking action. Building on this observation, Draper and Turow (2019, p. 1828) understand
resignation as “a rational emotional response in the face of undesirable situations that individuals believe they cannot combat”
meaning they accept the absence or lack of control.
Applied to the ICT domain, the concept of resignation has been dened by the same authors as “the condition produced when
people desire to control the information digital entities have about them but feel unable to do so” (Draper and Turow, 2019, p.
1824). us, they conceive digital resignation as the feeling derived from one of the eects of ICT consumption, namely, data
handling, but not from the perspective of forced use of digital media. Authors such as Pangrazio
et al.
(2023) have drawn on
the concept of “digital resignation”, coupled with that of “surveillance realism”. eir study warns of the need for students to be
encouraged to engage meaningfully. According to their ndings, in this process they have to “resist” the restrictions generated by
the so-called “datacation”.
In the present study, we adopt the perspective of “digital resignation”, which needs further research, and therefore understand
this concept as the rational emotional response of instrumental users to forced or unwanted use of digital media. Specically, a
digitally resigned individual will seek to connect only when necessary, i.e., when the context compels them to do so. Additionally,
we start from the premise that resignation may be linked to potential dysfunctions arising from ICT use, as it could be associated
with behaviours that negatively impact physical and emotional health, as well as the social and academic lives of users.
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Belén Casas-Mas and Louis Pierre Philippe Homont
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In accordance with the academic literature reviewed, the general objective of this research is to nd out and describe the
perception that students at the University Complutense of Madrid (UCM) have of the uses they make of ICTs (O1). To this end,
the following specic objectives have been set out:
–
To identify the preferences (virtual or face-to-face) of university students when relating to their (potential) partners and peer
groups (O1.1).
–
To establish what type of users they identify with according to whether or not they enjoy the virtual connection (O1.2).
–
To determine the dysfunctions derived from digital consumption that aect their daily lives (O1.3).
Following these (specic) objectives, this present research aims to test three hypotheses. Considering the ndings of previous
studies that pointed out that, despite being highly connected, young university students prefer face-to-face mode for their social
relationships (Nobles
et al
., 2015; Ochoa and Uribe, 2015), we suggest that University Complutense of Madrid (UCM) students
prefer to relate to their (potential) partners and peer groups face-to-face (H1).
Likewise, the literature reviewed has shown that a link may be established between university youth and hyperconnectivity
(Carrazco
et al
., 2018; Doval-Avendaño
et al.
, 2018; Marín
et al
., 2020), but it has not linked students with digital resignation – a
concept never addressed in this specic context. In this study, we consider that among university students there might be subjects
who fall into the category of resigned users as a way of adapting to a digital environment that demands a high level of dedication.
erefore, we propose to corroborate whether digital resignation, understood as the rational emotional response of instrumental
users to a forced or unwanted use of ICTs, may be considered as a category to classify students according to their use of ICTs (H2).
Finally, based on empirical results that have shown that ritualised ICT use is linked to the substitution of other types of face-to-
face activities (Sánchez-Gómez
et al
., 2020), sleep deprivation, poor academic performance (Díaz-Vicario
et al
., 2019; Parra
et
al
., 2016), or overwhelm caused by the management of social networks (Doval-Avendaño
et al
., 2018), it may be anticipated that
hyperconnected and digitally resigned students present dysfunctions derived from their use of ICTs (H3).
2. Methodology
e research is based on an online
survey sent by email to all University Complutense of Madrid (UCM) students between 1
and 22 February 2022. e distribution, monitoring and collection of the questionnaires answered through the Google Forms
platform was carried out by the University Complutense of Madrid (UCM) Student Observatory.
2.1. Universe and sample
In the 2022 academic year, the universe of students enrolled in ocial University Complutense of Madrid (UCM) studies was
71,702. Based on this census, the nal sample analysed consisted of 2,893 students, with a sampling error of ±1.83% (95%
condence level) and ±2.41% (99% condence level). Both levels were calculated according to the worst-case option of
p = q =
50%. e results by gender, age, eld of study and type of degree have been weighted to ensure that they are representative of the
total University Complutense of Madrid (UCM) student body.
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doxa.comunicación
2.2. Instrument
e basic questionnaire of the survey was structured in ve blocks of questions about students’ digital consumption. is article
deals with the results obtained in three of these blocks, namely: interpersonal relationships; habits and uses of ICTs; and type of
user. In accordance with the specialised literature on problematic uses of digital media, we understand this term to encompass
any behaviour associated with neglecting tasks, reducing hours of sleep, and being inattentive in class to stay connected, as well
as a sense of overwhelm related to this connectivity (Carrazco
et al.
, 2018; Díaz-Vicario
et al.
, 2019; Doval-Avendaño
et al.
, 2018;
Kesici & Fidan, 2018; Parra
et al.
, 2016; Sánchez-Gómez
et al.
, 2020). Based on these contributions, the following questions were
formulated:
1. Interpersonal relationships. “Indicate your preferences regarding personal relationships by selecting the way you prefer to
engage in each activity. For each activity, choose between: a) Prefer to do it in person; b) Prefer to do it virtually; c) Both ways/
no preference; and d) Ns/Nc (Not sure/Not applicable).”
a)“Finding a date or partner”.
b) “Breaking up with a partner”.
c) “Meeting a good friend”.
d) “Integrating into a new group of friends or colleagues”.
2. Habits and uses of ICTs. “Below, you will read a series of situations related to Internet usage. Indicate in each case if it
happens to you or if you experience it”.
a) “I start browsing the Internet even when I have other things to do”.
b) “I sleep less and feel more tired because I spend more time on the Internet”.
c) “I usually connect to the Internet during my classes for activities unrelated to the teacher’s explanation”.
d) “I feel overwhelmed by the daily management and maintenance of my social networks through the Internet”.
3. Type of user. “How would you describe yourself as a technology user? Choose only one answer”.
a) For hyper-connected individuals who take pleasure in being online: “I like to be connected all the time”.
b) For disconnected individuals who intentionally and signicantly limit their digital consumption: “I try to connect as
little as possible”.
c) For digitally resigned individuals who will reluctantly use ICTs only when the context compels them: “I connect when
I need to”.
2.3. Data analysis
A statistical analysis was performed by the integrated data management company ODEC, using SPSS 22.0 software. Statistically
signicant dierences were tested using Chi tests (with a condence level of 95 %), for a universe of N = 2,893.
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nº 38, pp. 99-118
January-June of 2024
Belén Casas-Mas and Louis Pierre Philippe Homont
ISSN: 1696-019X / e-ISSN: 2386-3978
| 105
3. Results
e obtained results are organised around the three blocks previously presented – interpersonal relationships, habits and uses
of ICT among university students, and type of user – and are examined based on gender and age dierences among the study
respondents.
3.1. Interpersonal relations, virtual or face-to-face?
As can be observed in Table 1, when it comes to nding a date or partner, 80% of women prefer to do it in person, while three out
of ten men state that it is indierent to them whether this is done online or oine, and this increases to four out of ten among
non-binary individuals.
Table 1. Preferences for personal relationships
Relationship preferences
Total (%)
Gender
Age (years)
FemaleMale
Non-
binary
/ Other
options
Ns/Nc18-1920-2122-25
Over
25
10070.126.91.81.216.023.121.929.8
Finding
a date or
partner
Prefer to do it
in person
76.079.2+69.6-53.8-66.779.4+76.974.672.7-
Prefer to do it
virtually
2.72.3-3.7+5.8-1.7-3.63.02.9
Both ways / no
preference
21.218.4-26.6+40.4+33.319.019.522.424.3+
Ns / Nc
---------
Breaking
up with a
partner
Prefer to do it
in person
90.591.7+87.8-84.691.791.391.690.988.3-
Prefer to do it
virtually
2.01.73.0+--1.81.23.0+2.1
Both ways / no
preference
7.56.6-9.3+15.48.36.97.26.29.6+
Ns / Nc
---------