Technology-mediated connectedness: A systematic review of constructs and measurements.

Digital technologies increasingly fulfill the basic human need for connectedness by providing new ways to nurture and sustain relationships across distances.While attention to technology-mediated connectedness is rising, there is still a lack of clarity around its theoretical conceptualization and measurement which limits cumulative research, comparability across studies, and the development of valid measurement tools.To address this gap, we first conducted an extensive systematic review of articles from psychology outlets (APA PsycInfo and PSYNDEX up to December 19, 2023; 79 articles).Second, we analyzed articles from a systematic review of the technology-driven human-computer interaction (HCI; Association for Computing Machinery digital libraries; 54 articles).Eligible articles were peer-reviewed, published from 1980 onward, and examined technology-mediated interpersonal connectedness between two or more separated individuals via quantitative or qualitative measures (N ≥ 10).The results show a fragmented research field with a lack of consensus on defining or theorizing technology-mediated connectedness.Psychology research draws on multiple established theories that may require updating to remain fully applicable to current conditions, whereas HCI often emphasizes design cases with limited theoretical grounding.Methods, measurements, samples, and technologies also vary widely.Future research on connectedness requires clearer concepts, stronger methodology, unified theoretical frameworks, and standardized measurement tools to enable meaningful comparisons.Based on the findings, we argue for a more precise conceptual focus on interpersonal connectedness, defined as the quality and emotional closeness in specific interpersonal interactions, as a more narrowly focused construct within the broader concept of social connectedness.