Abstract

Media content and mediated communication have reached an unprecedented ubiquity in the daily lives of people around the world. Mobile Internet connections, smartphones, and other portable devices provide constant access to information, entertainment, and social interaction. Consequentially, media use occupies a major share of our time (Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2014) and blurs the traditional boundaries between different spheres of life, such as work and leisure (see the chapter by Sonnentag and Pundt in this volume). This constant availability of media content has greatly expanded our immediate access to a plethora of media gratifications, as we now have a virtually unlimited arsenal of media resources at our disposal at any time and in any place. The potential benefits of this development are indisputable: Media use is a powerful source of intrinsic need satisfaction (Reinecke et al., 2012; Reinecke, Vorderer, & Knop, 2014), keeps us connected to our social environment (Ellison, Steinfield, & Lampe, 2007), and provides numerous mechanisms for self-regulation and homeostasis (Zillmann, 1988). In our media-saturated society, the positive effects of media use on well-being should thus be more easily accessible than ever before.