Digital media as COVID-19 lifeline or stressor? An exploratory study on the perception of media usage under isolation

To answer the question if Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) were benefiting or hindering the mental health of people undergoing isolation during the early pandemics of SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19), we inquired how people perceived the usage of five ICTs and their relationship with them. We addressed three hypotheses: there is a relationship between the increase in the use of specific ICTs during the isolation period due to COVID-19 and perception of positive psychological effects (H1), feelings of psychological discomfort (H2), and anxiety levels (H3). We found that using ICTs helped people feel less isolated and combat boredom. However, ICTs can cause psychological discomfort when people perceive they spend too much time using them or feel they cannot control their use. We also found that anxiety is related to how people perceive their relationship, with a positive media relationship linked to less anxiety and vice versa.