The last decades have brought fundamental changes in the use of media and communication technologies. Mobile devices and ubiquitous Internet connections have made constant access to media content and permanent connectedness to online networks and mediated communication the “new normal” in large parts of Western societies. At the same time, streaming platforms such as YouTube, Netflix or Spotify have fundamentally transformed the use of media entertainment, providing unprecedented digital autonomy to media users and making access to narratives and entertainment independent from time and space restrictions. For many users, these changes in the landscape of digital media represent a “double-edged sword”. On the one hand, this ubiquitous access to digital content and communication is a valuable resource that may foster psychological well-being by providing instantaneous access to need satisfaction, stress-recovery, or mood optimization. On the other hand, constant connectedness presents important new challenges to users. Many users have developed a “permanently online, permanently connected lifestyle”. High levels of online vigilance and chronic attention to digital communication stimuli and media-related cues increase demands for self-regulation. As a consequence, a growing number of users experience increased levels of distraction, digital stress and social pressure to be constantly available. Against this backdrop, questions pertaining to digital resilience are of utmost importance to the fields of media psychology and HCI: What are the boundary conditions for positive versus negative effects of digital media use for mental health and psychological well-being? And how can media users be resilient to the demands and challenges of digital media and communication technology?

In this new “always on” environment, one key element of resilient use of digital media and a major precondition for digital well-being seems to be finding the right balance between connection and disconnection. In fact, a growing number of users express their wish to decrease their use of digital media and to “log off” more frequently. A whole industry has evolved around the idea of “digital detox”, trying to monetarize the need for disconnection via apps, self-help literature or training. Yet empirical research paints a very ambivalent picture, with recent reviews and meta-analyses finding no or mixed evidence at best for any positive effects of disconnection interventions on psychological health and well-being.

The keynote will review and summarize previous research on the role of digital disconnection for digital resilience and identify key challenges and open questions for future work in HCI and media psychology.