The Mobile User’s Mindset in a Permanently Online, Permanently Connected Society

Since the turn of the century—and that means, in an extremely short period of time—a new and dominant behavioral pattern has emerged in technology-saturated countries and cultures: the almost constant use of mobile electronic devices such as smartphones, tablets, and laptops in a great diversity of different situations. This chapter discusses the role that the proliferation and use of mobile and particularly of smartphones has had on the development of a particular mindset. This mindset is described as one of almost permanent psychological vigilance, and it impacts human cognition, affect, and behavior in significant ways. The authors describe consequences on the individual, collective, and societal levels.