ABSTRACT
Leonard Reinecke, Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz
The ubiquitous availability of online content and communication in the “permanently online and permanently connected” (POPC) environment make questions pertaining to the chances and risks of Internet use for psychological well-being a pressing challenge for communication research. The present chapter will first review the existing findings on the effects of “traditional” Internet and social media use on well-being. Based on this overview of recent research, the potential changes that come along with a POPC lifestyle and the resulting consequences for the effects of Internet use on well-being will be discussed along with open questions for future research.
