Relationships between face-to-face communication time, digital burnout, social intelligence, and loneliness among college students in the post-pandemic era

Purpose: The coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic has led to significant societal changes such as a rapid shift toward online learning, including college classes moving to virtual platforms. This study investigated the relationship between face-to-face communication time, digital burnout, social intelligence, and loneliness among college students during the pandemic.Methods: This descriptive correlation study was conducted with 172 college students who participated in an online survey from July 1 to July 9, 2022. Face-to-face communication time, digital burnout, social intelligence, and loneliness were measured. Descriptive statistics, independent t-test, one-way ANOVA, Pearson’s correlation, and regression analysis were used to analyze the collected data.Results: Digital burnout (β= -.21, p=.011) and loneliness (β= -.46, p<.001) were significantly associated with social intelligence (F=15.04, p<.001), whereas face-to-face communication time did not show a significant association with social intelligence (β= -.01, p=.922). Digital burnout (β=.41, p<.001) and social intelligence (β= -.33, p<.001) were significantly associated with loneliness (F=18.34, p<.001); however, face-to-face communication was not significantly associated with loneliness (β= -.06, p=.314).Conclusion: These findings suggest that digital burnout is significantly associated with both social intelligence and loneliness. This study emphasizes the need for interventions to address digital burnout and promote healthy online habits to improve the social well-being of college students.