During the COVID-19 pandemic, Internet might influence daily functioning in both positive and negative ways. Within the conceptual framework of the semiotic cultural psycho- social theory, this study examines the meanings of being online during the COVID-19 pandemic based on narratives collected from Italian university students (Mean age = 22.78; SD = 2.70). Computer-assisted content analysis was used to map the main Dimensions of Meaning (DM) characterizing their texts; ANOVA was used to examine (dis)similarities between DM related to sociodemographic characteristics and connotations of Internet use; Pearson's correlations were computed to examine the relationships between DM and well-being. Two DM emerged: (a) being online in daily life (`rupture' versus `continuity') and (b) Internet functions during the pandemic (`health emergency' versus `daily activities'). Notably, participants high on the `daily activities' polarity of Internet functions connoted the Internet as a resource and reported higher levels of well-being, whereas participants high on the opposite polarity of "health emergency" connoted the Internet as a refuge and reported lower levels of well-being. Findings suggest that Internet use and its impact on well-being during the pandemic relates to the personal and social cultural meanings attributed to being online.
Being online in the time of COVID-19: Narratives from a sample of young adults and the relationship with well-being
Simone Rollo
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2022-01-01
Abstract
During the COVID-19 pandemic, Internet might influence daily functioning in both positive and negative ways. Within the conceptual framework of the semiotic cultural psycho- social theory, this study examines the meanings of being online during the COVID-19 pandemic based on narratives collected from Italian university students (Mean age = 22.78; SD = 2.70). Computer-assisted content analysis was used to map the main Dimensions of Meaning (DM) characterizing their texts; ANOVA was used to examine (dis)similarities between DM related to sociodemographic characteristics and connotations of Internet use; Pearson's correlations were computed to examine the relationships between DM and well-being. Two DM emerged: (a) being online in daily life (`rupture' versus `continuity') and (b) Internet functions during the pandemic (`health emergency' versus `daily activities'). Notably, participants high on the `daily activities' polarity of Internet functions connoted the Internet as a resource and reported higher levels of well-being, whereas participants high on the opposite polarity of "health emergency" connoted the Internet as a refuge and reported lower levels of well-being. Findings suggest that Internet use and its impact on well-being during the pandemic relates to the personal and social cultural meanings attributed to being online.File | Dimensione | Formato | |
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