Time to Log off: Motivations to Take a Digital Detox Holiday
(A2020-55349)

AUTHORS

Yangyang Jiang, The University of Nottingham Ningbo China; M S Balaji, University of Nottingham Ningbo China

KEYWORDS

digital detox holiday; motivation; digital technology

ABSTRACT

This study examines motivational factors that drive travelers to take the digital detox holiday (DDH). We used a mix-method approach and carried out a qualitative study followed by two quantitative studies. Through the qualitative study, we identified nine motives of the DDH travelers: technology addiction, technology irritation, mindfulness, self-expression, social bonding, nature connectedness, relaxation, escapism, and novelty. Through the quantitative studies, we explored the factor structure of the DDH motivations and tested the conceptual model that explicates how the nine motivational factors predict the DDH traveler’s behavioral intention. We found that mindfulness, technology irritation, relaxation, and self-expression are positively associated with the traveler’s intention to undertake the DDH. This study contributes to the literature by applying uses and gratifications theory to explain motivational factors that influence the DDH traveler’s behavioral intention.