Disconnectivity synced with identity cultivation: adolescent narratives of digital disconnection

Abstract

This article elucidates adolescent digital disconnection through the lens of narrative identity development to answer the research question: “How do adolescent disconnection experiences play into ongoing identity development processes?” The study draws from qualitative interviews with 17 Norwegian adolescents. The findings indicate that adolescents are ambivalent about their relationships with social networking sites, producing ripple effects on their motivation and disconnection practices. The findings are explained through the cultivation of narrative identity. Thus, this article proposes that adolescent digital disconnection is aligned with identity formation, reflected in narrative themes and corresponding features. By detailing how ongoing identity construction processes underpin the need and ability to disconnect, this article contributes a developmental perspective to the digital disconnection literature.

Momentary Motivations for Digital Disconnection: An Experience Sampling Study

“…They highlight, for example, that well-being is one of the central facets highlighted in disconnection research. Individuals frequently report both motivations to be connected and disconnected -for example, to feel more authentic (Agai, 2022) -reflecting individuals' ambivalent relationship with digital connection. While motivations for digital disconnection vary in the short as well as the long term (Nguyen, 2023), to our knowledge, quantitative and qualitative studies have addressed motivations only at single time points, for example, in interviews or surveys asking users about their disconnection motivations and behaviors on average or retrospectively.…”