Summary:
This study explored the collective meaning-making of "moments of void", as well as their emotional and social framing and their connection to the recourse to screens in our contemporary networked reality. Utilizing a qualitative research design and conducting six focus groups, the attitudes, perceptions and experiences of 27 young adults, aged 18- 32 years, who are smart phone users were examined. Subsequently, a thematic analysis was conducted on the data collected. An underlying difficulty was identified in relation to the definition of 'moments of void', as their qualitative assessment concerned their performance as both 'dead' and free time, and even their perception as both a disruption to the flow of organized time, as well as a privilege for digital natives. Digital devices were presented as a means of managing these moments and as regulators of dysphoric feelings that accompanied them, such as boredom, loneliness, and insecurity. Furthermore, the signifying negotiation of this management between compulsive behavior and conscious disconnection was identified as a common aspect in the participants' narratives. Finally, recourse to screens was presented as an outgrowth of the imperative for permanent connectivity and constant self-improvement resulting in information and mental overload and the equation of human experience to a mechanical one. Findings were discussed in relation to classical theories and prior research work, offering an improved understanding of these emotionally invested and socially imbued pauses of everyday life and also of the tendency of young adults to turn to their screens during these times.
Keywords:
'moments of void', resorting to screens, screens as emotional regulators, quantified society
