Breaking out from constant connectivity: Agentic regulation of smartphone use

Abstract Most of the interruptions caused by smartphones and other communication technologies are initiated by the individuals themselves. Likewise, breakouts from connectivity are enacted by individuals who want to disconnect. The present study examines human agency in the face of material agency, and specifically the decisions that people make to disconnect from their smartphone so as to regulate their connectivity states and the motivations that drive such decisions. We analyze a corpus of LinkedIn comments posted on an article discussing the excessive use of mobile phones and build a typology of motivations underlying disconnection decisions. Individuals in our sample were likely to regulate their connectivity both with a promotion focus, to achieve gains at work and outside of work, and with a prevention focus, to avoid losses in these two domains. Moreover, disconnection decisions are simultaneously driven by the logic of consequences and the logic of appropriateness. Contrary to the popular depiction of connectivity resulting in work invading the non-work domain, people in this sample were likely to engage in disconnection decisions to protect both the work and non-work domains from potential distractions induced by communication technologies.

[1]  Karen McKenzie,et al.  How "phubbing" becomes the norm: The antecedents and consequences of snubbing via smartphone , 2016, Comput. Hum. Behav..

[2]  Jennifer L. Berdahl,et al.  Cultural Schemas, Social Class, and the Flexibility Stigma , 2013 .

[3]  Karen L. Newman.  Sustainable careers: Lifecycle engagement in work § , 2011 .

[4]  Nick Bontis,et al.  Family and work-related consequences of addiction to organizational pervasive technologies , 2011, Inf. Manag..

[5]  Darl G. Kolb,et al.  States of Connectivity: New Questions and New Directions , 2012 .

[6]  Glen E. Kreiner,et al.  BALANCING BORDERS AND BRIDGES: NEGOTIATING THE WORK-HOME INTERFACE VIA BOUNDARY WORK TACTICS , 2009 .

[7]  N. Bolger,et al.  Diary methods: capturing life as it is lived. , 2003, Annual review of psychology.

[8]  J. C. Flanagan.  Psychological Bulletin THE CRITICAL INCIDENT TECHNIQUE , 2022 .

[9]  Matthew K. O. Lee,et al.  Examining the effects of motives and gender differences on smartphone addiction , 2017, Comput. Hum. Behav..

[10]  Jeffrey H. Greenhaus,et al.  The family-relatedness of work decisions: A framework and agenda for theory and research☆ , 2012 .

[11]  Dan S. Chiaburu,et al.  Communication Technology: Pros and Cons of Constant Connection to Work , 2011 .

[12]  Otilia Obodaru,et al.  The Self Not Taken: How Alternative Selves Develop and How They Influence Our Professional Lives , 2012 .

[13]  JoAnne Yates,et al.  The Autonomy Paradox: The Implications of Mobile Email Devices for Knowledge Professionals , 2013, Organ. Sci..

[14]  Sharon F. Matusik,et al.  Embracing or embattled by converged mobile devices? Users’ experiences with a contemporary connectivity technology , 2011 .

[15]  M. Hagberg,et al.  Mobile phone use and stress, sleep disturbances, and symptoms of depression among young adults - a prospective cohort study , 2011, BMC public health.

[16]  Daantje Derks,et al.  Smartphone use and work-home interference: The moderating role of social norms and employee work engagement , 2015 .

[17]  William Powers.  Hamlet's BlackBerry : building a good life in the digital age , 2011 .

[18]  M. Hagberg,et al.  Computer use and stress, sleep disturbances, and symptoms of depression among young adults – a prospective cohort study , 2012, BMC Psychiatry.

[19]  J. Wajcman,et al.  Have Mobile Devices Changed Working Patterns in the 21st Century? A Time-diary Analysis of Work Extension in the UK , 2019 .

[20]  Maya Samaha Rupert,et al.  Relationships among smartphone addiction, stress, academic performance, and satisfaction with life , 2016, Comput. Hum. Behav..

[21]  Chun-Tuan Chang,et al.  The dark side of smartphone usage: Psychological traits, compulsive behavior and technostress , 2014, Comput. Hum. Behav..

[22]  W. Orlikowski.  Sociomaterial Practices: Exploring Technology at Work , 2007 .

[23]  Neil S. Coulson,et al.  A practical guide to analysing online support forums , 2018, Qualitative Research in Psychology.

[24]  Herman Aguinis,et al.  Best Practice Recommendations for Designing and Implementing Experimental Vignette Methodology Studies , 2014 .

[25]  Susan Bluck,et al.  Getting a life: the emergence of the life story in adolescence. , 2000, Psychological bulletin.

[26]  Mila B. Lazarova,et al.  Elucidating the Positive Side of the Work-Family Interface on International Assignments: A Model of Expatriate Work and Family Performance , 2010 .

[27]  M. Alvesson,et al.  Constructing mystery: Empirical matters in theory development , 2007 .

[28]  Ellen Ernst Kossek,et al.  Work–family boundary management styles in organizations , 2012 .

[29]  J. Sturges,et al.  Crafting a balance between work and home , 2012 .

[30]  Kristine Dery,et al.  Engaged or just connected? Smartphones and employee engagement , 2012 .

[31]  E. Higgins.  Beyond pleasure and pain. , 1997, The American psychologist.

[32]  James G. March,et al.  A primer on decision making : how decisions happen , 1994 .

[33]  J. Wajcman,et al.  Constant Connectivity: Rethinking Interruptions at Work , 2011 .

[34]  Sara Alida Volkmer,et al.  Unhappy and addicted to your phone? - Higher mobile phone use is associated with lower well-being , 2019, Comput. Hum. Behav..

[35]  A. Ollier-Malaterre,et al.  Put Down That Phone! Smart Use of Smartphones for Work and Beyond , 2018 .

[36]  Louise F. Pendry,et al.  Individual and social benefits of online discussion forums , 2015, Comput. Hum. Behav..

[37]  A. Bandura.  Human agency in social cognitive theory. , 1989, The American psychologist.

[38]  Yasemin Demiraslan Çevik,et al.  Modelling smartphone addiction: The role of smartphone usage, self-regulation, general self-efficacy and cyberloafing in university students , 2016, Comput. Hum. Behav..

[39]  Ofir Turel,et al.  The Information and Communication Technology User Role: Implications for the Work Role and Inter-Role Spillover , 2016, Front. Psychol..

[40]  Piet Kommers,et al.  Modeling habitual and addictive smartphone behavior: The role of smartphone usage types, emotional intelligence, social stress, self-regulation, age, and gender , 2015, Comput. Hum. Behav..

[41]  Kevin G. Corley,et al.  Seeking Qualitative Rigor in Inductive Research , 2013 .

[42]  S. Jex,et al.  Relationships between work-home segmentation and psychological detachment from work: the role of communication technology use at home. , 2011, Journal of occupational health psychology.

[43]  Tammy D. Allen,et al.  Work–Family Boundary Dynamics , 2014 .

[44]  Wonshik Chee,et al.  An Online Forum as a Qualitative Research Method: Practical Issues , 2006, Nursing research.

[45]  Donald Hislop,et al.  Mobile phones during work and non-work time: A case study of mobile, non-managerial workers , 2011, Inf. Organ..

[46]  Jeromy Anglim,et al.  Problematic smartphone usage and subjective and psychological well-being , 2019, Comput. Hum. Behav..

[47]  J. Greenhaus,et al.  Making Work and Family Work: From hard choices to smart choices , 2016 .

[48]  S. Clark.  Work/Family Border Theory: A New Theory of Work/Family Balance , 2000 .

[49]  P. Leonardi.  Materiality, Sociomateriality, and Socio-Technical Systems: What Do These Terms Mean? How are They Related? Do We Need Them? , 2012 .