What is your connectivity doing to you? The impact of connectivity on exhaustion and fatigue in individuals

Abstract

Connectivity provides significant benefits and repercussions for both organisations and individuals. While the literature surrounding connectivity and its impacts are scantily researched, especially with regard to constantly advancing technological developments, exhaustion and fatigue in individuals have been studied expansively. The wider focus of this study was to investigate how these streams of research interact. Principally, this crosssectional study examined how connectivity satisfaction (volume and content satisfaction), hyper-connectivity (too much), hypo-connectivity (too little), and communication practices (technical connectivity and communication choice) influence exhaustion and fatigue levels in individuals. One hundred and ninety-nine university students in New Zealand completed a survey (paper or online). Controlling for age and gender, relationships were found between hyper- and hypo-connectivity with both exhaustion and fatigue. A direct relationship was also found between communication choice and fatigue. Meanwhile, some support was attained for the direct relationship between content satisfaction and fatigue. These findings indicate that by understanding the levels, satisfaction and autonomy of connectivity in individuals, the consequences of exhaustion and fatigue can be alleviated. The implications of these findings for both individuals and organisations are outlined.