Permanent connectedness and its impact on news sharing

Abstract

The ubiquitous use of Internet-connected media enables individuals to stay in constant touch with personal contacts in an “always-on” society. Consequently, some individuals have developed the habit of being permanently connected with others through digital media. This article examines the psychological and political consequences of permanent connectedness. Analysis of two independent sets of data collected via a two-wave panel survey and an online experiment reveals that, over time, permanent connection—the behavior of constantly engaging in mediated communication—increased the perception of permanent togetherness with others, which I label as permanently connected perception. This perception was in turn positively associated with news sharing through the belief that information one shares online can instantly be received and responded to by online contacts as it is shared. Findings emphasize the “spillover” influence of permanent connectedness, in which perpetual mediated communication encourages political behavior, news sharing, and the role of the permanently connected perception in mediating this process.