Digital Flourishing Scale (DFS)

Abstract

The Digital Flourishing Scale (DFS; Janicke-Bowle et al., 2023) is a 25-item instrument designed to quantify digital flourishing, which is defined as positive perceptions of mediated social interactions, such as those occurring via social media and instant messaging. This scale was developed through three distinct studies to address a notable gap in well-being measures related to computer-mediated communication, particularly concerning the assessment of positive perceptions rather than exclusively negative ones. The theoretical foundation for the development of this measure was Self-Determination Theory (SDT; Deci & Ryan, 2000). The development process began with an initial pool of 120 items, derived from a comprehensive literature review and focus groups conducted with young adults. Following expert review, the DFS was administered online to a sample of adults representative of the U.S. population. Subsequent exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses resulted in a robust 5-factor structure, with each subscale retaining five items. The studies also reported on the instrument’s internal consistency, construct validity, and criterion validity.

Keywords

Authentic Self-Disclosure, Civil Participation, Computer Mediated Communication, Computer Mediated Social Interaction, Connectedness, Digital Flourishing, Positive Online Experiences and Behaviors, Positive Perceptions, Positive Social Comparison, Self-Control.

Authors

Janicke-Bowles, Sophie H.; Buckley, Tess M.; Rey, Rikishi; Wozniak, Tayah; Meier, Adrian; Lomanowska, Anna

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Purpose

The primary purpose of the Digital Flourishing Scale is to assess positive perceptions of computer-mediated social interactions.

Validity

Construct Validity: A Pearson correlation analysis was conducted to examine the relationship between the basic Self-Determination Theory (SDT) needs (competence, relatedness, and autonomy) and each component of flourishing as measured by the DFS. All subscales of the DFS, with the exception of the positive social comparison subscale, demonstrated significant correlations with all three basic SDT needs.

Criterion Validity: To assess its association with general well-being, a Pearson correlation analysis revealed that the DFS significantly and strongly correlated with established measures of flourishing (Diener et al., 2010) (r = .412, p < .001) and satisfaction with life (Diener et al., 1985) (r = .408, p < .001).

Reliability

Internal Consistency: All subscales of the Digital Flourishing Scale demonstrated good internal consistency, with alpha coefficients ranging from 𝛼 = 0.73 to 0.91.

Factor Analysis

Exploratory Factor Analysis (EFA): The EFA process ultimately led to the identification of a five-factor model, which accounted for 46.53% of the total variance with an initial set of 47 items.

Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA): CFA was subsequently employed to reduce and equalize the number of items, aiming for five items per subscale. Careful inspection of factor loadings, item covariances within each subscale, and item cross-loadings resulted in the removal of several items from each subscale, leading to a final total of five items per subscale. When modeling the remaining 25 items as five separate but correlated factors, the model demonstrated an excellent fit to the data: Satorra-Bentler corrected χ² = 357.69, df = 265, p < .001; RMSEA-SB = 0.028 (90% CI [0.032 – 0.045]), CFI = 0.972, SB = 0.979, SRMR = 0.047. Further analysis comparing different factor structures indicated that the multidimensional model provided a slightly better fit to the data compared to a higher-order model.

Instrument: Digital Flourishing Scale (DFS)

Test Type: Original Inventory/Questionnaire

Format: Participants respond to all items on a 7-point Likert-scale, ranging from 1 = strongly disagree to 7 = strongly agree.

Language Available: English

Population Group: Human; Male; Female

Age Group: Adulthood (18 yrs & older); Young Adulthood (18-29 yrs); Thirties (30-39 yrs); Middle Age (40-64 yrs); Aged (65 yrs & older); Very Old (85 yrs & older).

Population Details:

• Location: United States

• Respondents: Adults Representative of the U.S. Population

Test Methodology: Test Validity, Construct Validity, Criterion Validity, Test Reliability, Internal Consistency, Factor Analysis, Confirmatory Factor Analysis, Exploratory Factor Analysis.

Keywords

Authentic Self-Disclosure, Civil Participation, Computer Mediated Communication, Computer Mediated Social Interaction, Connectedness, Digital Flourishing, Positive Online Experiences and Behaviors, Positive Perceptions, Positive Social Comparison, Self-Control.

Authors

Author ORCID Identifier and Affiliation Email addresses Correspondence Address

• Janicke-Bowles, Sophie H.

  • ORCID: http://orcid.org/0000-0003-4162-3717

  • Affiliation: Chapman University

  • Email: [email protected]

  • Correspondence Address: Chapman University, 1 University dr., Orange, California, United States, 92866

• Buckley, Tess M.

  • Affiliation: Chapman University

  • Email: [email protected]

• Rey, Rikishi

  • ORCID: http://orcid.org/0000-0002-8538-2890

  • Affiliation: Clemson University

  • Email: [email protected]

• Wozniak, Tayah

  • ORCID: http://orcid.org/0000-0002-5132-5660

  • Affiliation: Concordia University Irvine

  • Email: [email protected]

• Meier, Adrian

  • ORCID: http://orcid.org/0000-0002-8191-2962

  • Affiliation: Friedrich-Alexander University Erlangen-Nurnberg

  • Email: [email protected]

• Lomanowska, Anna

  • ORCID: http://orcid.org/0000-0003-0847-6153

  • Affiliation: Toronto General Hospital University Health Network

  • Email: [email protected]

Permissions & Fee and Test Year

Permissions: May use for Research/Teaching.
Commercial Use: No
Fee: No
Web Site: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
Test Year: 2023

References

Janicke-Bowles, S. H., Buckley, T. M., Rey, R., Wozniak, T., Meier, A., & Lomanowska, A. (2023). Digital flourishing: Conceptualizing and assessing positive perceptions of mediated social interactions. Journal of Happiness Studies: An Interdisciplinary Forum on Subjective Well-Being, 24(3), 1013–1035. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10902-023-00619-5

Items of the Digital Flourishing Scale (DFS)

Connectedness

1. CON1 I feel part of a community when I interact with others online

2. CON2 I feel a bond to my online community/network

3. CON3 I find great purpose and meaning in my online interactions

4. CON4 When I browse through my online communication platforms, I feel a sense of connection to others

5. CON5 I could turn to my online community if I needed specific advice on how to handle a problem

Civil Participation

1. CP1 When I interact with others about politics online, I know how to have a civil discussion

2. CP2 During my interactions online, I know how to take a stand for something important to me in a civil manner

3. CP3 In online discussions, I know how to get my point across without offending people

4. CP4 When I interact with others online I tend to respond reasonably even when they make me angry

5. CP5 When I communicate online, I am careful to adapt my comments and behaviors to be appropriate for my audience

Positive Social Comparison

1. PSC1 Comparing myself to others online motivates me to accomplish my goals

2. PSC2 I compare my life to those online who I can learn from

3. PSC3 Seeing how others present themselves online motivates me to make changes in my own life

4. PSC4 I compare my life to those online who are going to push me to be better

5. PSC5 Seeing other’s achievements online inspires me to do better

Authentic Self-Disclosure

1. ASD1 I allow my social network to see who I really am

2. ASD2 I feel comfortable presenting who I truly am online, in the same way I do offline

3. ASD3 What I post online reflects who I really am

4. ASD4 slightly altered: I show my true self online (reversed SD4RC)

5. ASD5 slightly altered: When interacting online, I feel comfortable presenting the person I am

Self-control

1. SC1 For the most part, I feel in control of how much time I spend interacting with others online

2. SC2 I feel in control over when to start and when to stop spending time on online communication

3. SC3 I communicate online when I want to, not when notifications tell me to

4. SC4 I am able to disconnect from my online interactions when I need a break

5. SC5 When I browse through content online I feel in control of how I spend my time

Note. Response options include a 7-point Likert-scale (1 = strongly disagree to 7 = strongly agree).