Work

Too much to process? Exploring the relationships between communication and information overload and videoconference fatigue

Year: 2024

Type: article

Abstract: The adoption of videoconferencing has brought significant convenience to people's lives. However, as videoconferencing usage has skyrocketed, it has unveiled a range of side effects, most notably videoconference fatigue (VF). In response, this paper employed the Limited Capacity Model of Motivated Mediated Message Processing (LC4MP) as a theoretical framework to conduct two comprehensive investigations, centering on the impact of verbal communication overload on users' information overload and VF. We conducted two studies to test our propositions and conceptual model. Study One focused on the educational context and comprised a survey with 489 students. In Study Two, we expanded our exploration to the professional use of videoconferencing in two populations: Singapore and Germany. A total of 610 responses were collected in Singapore, with the German sample constituting a total of 948 participants. Results from both studies consistently demonstrated a positive relationship between videoconference frequency and communication overload. Additionally, perceived communication overload was positively associated with information overload and VF. Based on the findings of the two studies, we discuss the theoretical and practical implications and suggest new directions for videoconferencing research.

Source: PLoS ONE

DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0312376

Authors: Benjamin J. Li, Heng Zhang, Christian Montag

Institutions: Nanyang Technological University, Universität Ulm

Language: English

Topic: Technostress in Professional Settings

Subfield: Social Psychology

Field: Psychology

Domain: Social Sciences

Open Access status: gold

Estimated APC paid: $2,290

Funder: Ministry of Education - Singapore