COVID-19 Lockdown Restrictions and Online Media Consumption in Germany

Abstract

The lockdown restrictions due to the COVID-19 pandemic have led to increased stress levels and feelings of anxiety in the general population. Problematic usage of certain online applications is one frequent way to compensate for negative feelings and stress. The current study investigated changes of online media consumption during the lockdown in Germany. Gender and age specific differences in specific online activities were assessed. n = 3245 subjects participated in an online survey conducted between the 8th April and the 11th May 2020. Participants’ age ranged between 18 and >55 years. A considerably high percentage (71.4%) of participants reported increased online media consumption during the lockdown. Male participants were more likely to increase their consumption of gaming and erotic platforms, while female participants reported a higher increase in the engagement in social networks, information research, and video streaming than males. The findings revealed an increased usage of all online applications during the lockdown. For the clarification whether the increase might present a risk for elevated Internet-use disorders or can be regarded as a functional and time-limited phenomenon, further studies, assessing changes in these online activities after the end of the pandemic, are needed.

Jóvenes y uso problemático de las tecnologías durante la pandemia: una preocupación familiar

“…Antes de la pandemia, los participantes reflejaban que sus familias percibían un uso problemático general de las TIC consideradas (salvo en los videojuegos), aumentando estas percepciones durante el confinamiento. Estos resultados coinciden con otros estudios Dong et al, 2020;Lemenager et al, 2021;Wang et al, 2020) que también reseñaron un consumo mayor de las TIC asociado a la pandemia. Atendiendo a los resultados por sexos, los datos reflejan que los hombres tenían un uso más problemático con las TIC que las mujeres antes del confinamiento provocado por el COVID-19, según la percepción de sus familias.…”

“…Por un lado, ha habido un aumento muy considerable de la utilización de las redes sociales o los servicios de mensajería instantánea (Dong et al, 2020), convirtiéndolas en uno de los principales medios para la comunicación y la construcción de relaciones interpersonales. Este crecimiento ha supuesto una modificación de nuestros patrones de ocio, haciendo que dediquemos mucho más tiempo a la utilización del teléfono móvil con fines de entretenimiento tanto en redes sociales como en otras cuestiones como los juegos en línea y videojuegos (Lemenager et al, 2021). Es reseñable, además, que, pese a lo generalizado de la situación, el consumo parece estar determinado por el género, siendo las mujeres quienes hacen una mayor utilización de los dispositivos móviles (Chóliz et al, 2016;Fernández et al, 2020), mientras que los hombres hacen un mayor uso de los videojuegos (Desai et al, 2010).…”

Problematic Use of ICTs in Trainee Teachers during COVID-19: A Sex-Based Analysis

“…However, as a result of the pandemic and the restrictions on mobility and social contact, the university population that makes up the sample has considerably increased their use of ICTs, reaching addiction patterns in most cases. Authors such as Dong et al (2020), Lemenager et al (2021) or Siste et al (2020) also identified an increase in the use of ICTs linked to the pandemic, without concluding whether this increase is associated with a greater risk of addiction. In this study, the data showed that women had a more problematic use of ICTs than men before the pandemic, a situation that was reversed as a result of the confinement, as men had a more dependent use of technologies than women in the sample.…”

Who Was Shopping More During the Spring Lockdown 2020 in Germany?

“…The survey was created using SoSci Survey Version 2.5.00-i (SoSci Survey GmbH, Munich, Germany). Aside from the assessment of changes in shopping behavior during the lockdown, participants' alcohol consumption, tobacco usage (17), media use (18), and gambling behavior as well as their eating and sport habits were investigated. The survey was promoted via print and social media channels as well as radio interviews and was posted from April 8 to May 11, 2020.…”