Digital Addiction vs. Digital Wellbeing: The Design as a Promoter, the Design as a Deterrent

A special issue of Healthcare (ISSN 2227-9032). This special issue belongs to the section "TeleHealth and Digital Healthcare".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (28 February 2021) | Viewed by 31697

Special Issue Editors


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Guest Editor
Information and Computing Technology Division, College of Science and Engineering, Hamad Bin Khalifa University, Doha, Qatar
Interests: digital wellbeing; persuasive technology; requirements engineering
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

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Guest Editor
Faculty of Science and Technology, Bournemouth University, Bournemouth BH12 5BB, UK
Interests: social psychology; cyberpsychology; risk behaviours; prevention; intervention; sociotechnical systems; gambling; cybersecurity
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Recent research has shown that negative experiences can be associated with certain usage styles of social and digital media. Such experiences can be usage-related, e.g., compulsive, hasty, and addictive usage, or life-related, e.g., procrastination, preoccupation, and fear of missing out. While the range of underlying reasons for that problematic experience can be wide, we argue that digital media design can be seen as one of the contributors, e.g., through notification and interactive designs. At the same time, and unlike other mediums known for their addictive nature, such as alcohol and tobacco, digital media have an unprecedented ability to monitor usage and deliver prevention and intervention strategies in a personalised, real time and intelligent style. As such digital technologies also provide new opportunities to promote wellbeing in ways which were not previously feasible.

In this Special Issue, we are looking for both conceptual and technical papers. We welcome literature review and theoretical papers around the concepts of digital wellbeing and digital addiction and the role of digital media design in triggering problematic usage and potentially helping to regulate it. We also welcome studies around the dual role digital media design can play, both as a promoter for digital wellbeing and as a deterrent of it.

Prof. Raian Ali
Dr. John McAlaney
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

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Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2700 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • Digital wellbeing
  • Digital addiction
  • Goal settings
  • Behaviour change
  • Social norms
  • Peer support groups
  • Fear of missing out
  • Digital motivation
  • Gamification
  • Cyber behaviour
  • Persuasive design
  • Online decision making
  • Problematic online gaming and gambling
  • e-health
  • Personalised interventions

Published Papers (5 papers)

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Research

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10 pages, 260 KiB  
Article
Analysis of Occupational Balance and Its Relation to Problematic Internet Use in University Occupational Therapy Students
by Alejandro Romero-Tébar, Marta Rodríguez-Hernández, Antonio Segura-Fragoso and Pablo A. Cantero-Garlito
Healthcare 2021, 9(2), 197; https://doi.org/10.3390/healthcare9020197 - 11 Feb 2021
Cited by 7 | Viewed by 3774
Abstract
(1) Objective: to explore and describe the relationship between the occupational balance of university students taking a Degree in Occupational Therapy and the problematic use of the Internet and how these, in turn, favour or not the appearance of phubbing behaviour which involves [...] Read more.
(1) Objective: to explore and describe the relationship between the occupational balance of university students taking a Degree in Occupational Therapy and the problematic use of the Internet and how these, in turn, favour or not the appearance of phubbing behaviour which involves “a behaviour that happens when an individual looks at his mobile phone during a conversation with other individuals, escaping from interpersonal communication”. (2) Methods: this is a quantitative descriptive study of an observational and cross-sectional nature, not experimental. The Spanish version of the Occupational Balance Questionnaire (OBQ-E), the Internet Addiction Test and the Phubbing Scale were used for data collection. 192 university students taking the Degree in Occupational Therapy of the University of Castilla–La Mancha participated (168 women and 24 men). (3) Results: the average score obtained in the OBQ-E was 38.7, indicating a moderate occupational balance; and (4) Conclusions: occupational therapy students from the Faculty of Health Sciences of the University of Castilla–La Mancha have a moderate occupational balance. Furthermore, this is negatively related to both problematic Internet use and phubbing, so a higher occupational balance indicates less Internet addiction and less phubbing. Full article
16 pages, 663 KiB  
Article
Video Game Streaming in Young People and Teenagers: Uptake, User Groups, Dangers, and Opportunities
by Luis Javier Cabeza-Ramírez, Guzmán Antonio Muñoz-Fernández and Luna Santos-Roldán
Healthcare 2021, 9(2), 192; https://doi.org/10.3390/healthcare9020192 - 10 Feb 2021
Cited by 12 | Viewed by 7589
Abstract
In recent years, live video streaming platforms for video games have been gaining popularity. These types of services, which enable anyone to broadcast and consume live content, are revolutionising the current video game landscape. Users approach the emergence of and participation in these [...] Read more.
In recent years, live video streaming platforms for video games have been gaining popularity. These types of services, which enable anyone to broadcast and consume live content, are revolutionising the current video game landscape. Users approach the emergence of and participation in these platforms driven by a range of motivations. It is essential to characterise the different forms of participation in services such as Twitch to evaluate the phenomenon and reflect on its advantages and disadvantages. To that end, a survey was carried out of 580 young people and adolescents aged between 14 and 24. The aim of this study is thus to explore the uptake of these platforms, as well as identify user groups, distinguish between different motivations, and address the associated benefits and harms. Applying a methodology based on factor analysis and cluster analysis, user profiles were characterised according to their specific features, gaming/viewing hours, self-perception of their skill level as a player, devices used, and type or genre of video game. Four subgroups of gamers/viewers were thus identified: casual, social, hobby, and problematic. The results showed that older users and female users feature more prominently in the first two groups, as do those spending less time on video games and live streaming platforms. Conversely, in the hobby and problematic groups, we observe just the opposite. The existence of profiles at possible risk of addiction underlines how, at a preventive level, there is a need for more in-depth research on these types of services and greater public awareness of the dangers of uncontrolled use. Full article
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25 pages, 491 KiB  
Article
Managing Procrastination on Social Networking Sites: The D-Crastinate Method
by Abdulaziz Alblwi, Dena Al-Thani, John McAlaney and Raian Ali
Healthcare 2020, 8(4), 577; https://doi.org/10.3390/healthcare8040577 - 18 Dec 2020
Cited by 4 | Viewed by 5431
Abstract
Procrastination refers to the voluntary avoidance or postponement of action that needs to be taken, that results in negative consequences such as low academic performance, anxiety, and low self-esteem. Previous work has demonstrated the role of social networking site (SNS) design in users’ [...] Read more.
Procrastination refers to the voluntary avoidance or postponement of action that needs to be taken, that results in negative consequences such as low academic performance, anxiety, and low self-esteem. Previous work has demonstrated the role of social networking site (SNS) design in users’ procrastination and revealed several types of procrastination on SNS. In this work, we propose a method to combat procrastination on SNS (D-Crastinate). We present the theories and approaches that informed the design of D-Crastinate method and its stages. The method is meant to help users to identify the type of procrastination they experience and the SNS features that contribute to that procrastination. Then, based on the results of this phase, a set of customised countermeasures are suggested for each user with guidelines on how to apply them. To evaluate our D-Crastinate method, we utilised a mixed-method approach that included a focus group, diary study and survey. We evaluate the method in terms of its clarity, coverage, efficiency, acceptance and whether it helps to increase users’ consciousness and management of their own procrastination. The evaluation study involved participants who self-declared that they frequently procrastinate on SNS. The results showed a positive impact of D-Crastinate in increasing participants’ awareness and control over their procrastination and, hence, enhancing their digital wellbeing. Full article
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15 pages, 289 KiB  
Article
The Struggle for Human Attention: Between the Abuse of Social Media and Digital Wellbeing
by Santiago Giraldo-Luque, Pedro Nicolás Aldana Afanador and Cristina Fernández-Rovira
Healthcare 2020, 8(4), 497; https://doi.org/10.3390/healthcare8040497 - 19 Nov 2020
Cited by 16 | Viewed by 9480
Abstract
Human attention has become an object of study that defines both the design of interfaces and the production of emotions in a digital economy ecosystem. Guided by the control of users’ attention, the consumption figures for digital environments, mainly social media, show that [...] Read more.
Human attention has become an object of study that defines both the design of interfaces and the production of emotions in a digital economy ecosystem. Guided by the control of users’ attention, the consumption figures for digital environments, mainly social media, show that addictive use is associated with multiple psychological, social, and physical development problems. The study presented develops a theoretical proposal regarding attention. In the first part, the research analyzes how attention has been studied and how it behaves using three disciplines: neurophysiology, neuropsychology, and economics. In the second part, considering this general framework, the study uses categories of the three disciplines to explain the functioning of social media, with special emphasis on their interactive, attractive, and addictive design. Finally, the article presents, as a practical example of the exposed theory, the main results of two case studies that describe social media consumption among young people. The research shows the relevance of the theoretical study of attention as a key element by which to understand the logics that dominate the interactive design of social media. It also uses a multidisciplinary perspective. The addictive behaviors identified in the two examples support the theoretical proposals and open research lines oriented to the measurement and understanding of the attention given to social media. Full article

Review

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26 pages, 278 KiB  
Review
On How Chronic Conditions Affect the Patient-AI Interaction: A Literature Review
by Mohammed Tahri Sqalli and Dena Al-Thani
Healthcare 2020, 8(3), 313; https://doi.org/10.3390/healthcare8030313 - 01 Sep 2020
Cited by 16 | Viewed by 3745
Abstract
Background: Across the globe, managing chronic diseases has been recognized as a challenge for patients and healthcare providers. The state of the art in managing chronic conditions requires not only responding to the clinical needs of the patient, but also guaranteeing a [...] Read more.
Background: Across the globe, managing chronic diseases has been recognized as a challenge for patients and healthcare providers. The state of the art in managing chronic conditions requires not only responding to the clinical needs of the patient, but also guaranteeing a comfortable state of wellbeing for them, despite living with the disease. This demands mutual effort between the patient and the physician in constantly collecting data, monitoring, and understanding the disease. The advent of artificial intelligence has made this process easier. However, studies have rarely attempted to analyze how the different artificial intelligence based health coaching systems are used to manage different types of chronic conditions. Objective: Throughout this grounded theory literature review, we aim to provide an overview for the features that characterize artificial intelligence based health coaching systems used by patients with chronic diseases. Methods: During our search and paper selection process process, we use three bibliographic libraries (PubMed, IEEE Xplore, and ACM Digital Library). Using the grounded theory, we extract overarching themes for the artificial intelligence based health coaching systems. These systems are then classified according to their role, platform, type of interaction with the patient, as well as targeted chronic conditions. Of 869 citations retrieved, 31 unique studies are included in this review. Results: The included studies assess 14 different chronic conditions. Common roles for AI-based health coaching systems are: developing adherence, informing, motivating, reminding, preventing, building a care network, and entertaining. Health coaching systems combine the aforementioned roles to cater to the needs of the patients. The combinations of these roles differ between multilateral, unilateral, opposing bilateral, complementing bilateral, one-role-missing, and the blurred role combinations. Conclusion: Clinical solutions and research related to artificial intelligence based health coaching systems are very limited. Clear guidelines to help develop artificial intelligence-based health coaching systems are still blurred. This grounded theory literature review attempted to shed the light on the research and development requirements for an effective health coaching system intended for patients with chronic conditions. Researchers are recommended to use this review to identify the most suitable role combination for an effective health coaching system development. Full article
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