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Journals / Psikiyatride Güncel Yaklaşımlar / 2026 / Cilt: 18 Sayı: 4

Digital Fugue: An Ineffective Coping Method in the Digital Age

Dijital Füg: Dijital Çağda Etkisiz Bir Baş Etme Yöntemi

Yalçın Kanbay(ARTVIN CORUH UNIVERSITY)0000-0002-8025-9877
Elçin Babaoğlu(ÜSKÜDAR ÜNİVERSİTESİ)0000-0002-0952-2652
Aydan Akkurt Yalçıntürk(SAĞLIK BİLİMLERİ ÜNİVERSİTESİ, HEMŞİRELİK FAKÜLTESİ)0000-0002-5386-0624
Aysun Akçam(KIRSEHIR AHI EVRAN UNIVERSITY)0000-0001-9428-3942
Pages
1633–1646
Publication Date
2026-06-29
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AI Summary & Key Takeaways

AI Insight
⚡ TL;DR(Too Long; Didn't Read)

Literature findings indicate that while digital devices may provide short-term psychological relief for individuals, they may be associated with decreased social interaction, loneliness, isolation, alienation, weakening of social skills, and mental health problems in the long term.

📌 3 Key Takeaways

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Objective & Hypothesis:Digital technologies have increasingly become central to individuals' daily lives, evolving beyond mere tools for communication or information access to assume psychological and social functions.
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Key Findings & Data:Furthermore, social anxiety, inadequate coping skills, alienation, and the desire to escape from the environment are evaluated as significant factors in the emergence of digital fugue behavior.
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Conclusion & Impact:Literature findings indicate that while digital devices may provide short-term psychological relief for individuals, they may be associated with decreased social interaction, loneliness, isolation, alienation, weakening of social skills, and mental health problems in the long term.
🔬Design:Review & Systematic Survey
📍Scope:Comprehensive Sample
⚙️Variables:Dijital füg · baş etme · anksiyete

Abstract

Digital technologies have increasingly become central to individuals' daily lives, evolving beyond mere tools for communication or information access to assume psychological and social functions. This review examines the concept of "digital fugue," which refers to individuals' tendency to turn to digital devices as a means of coping with anxiety, social pressure, stress, or discomforting situations. Digital fugue is defined as a state in which an individual remains physically present in a social environment while mentally and interactionally withdrawing into the digital world. In this respect, the concept is distinguished from digital addiction, representing a situational and context-specific escape behavior rather than continuous and uncontrolled use. The study examines the theoretical foundations of digital fugue and discusses its similarities and differences with related concepts such as avoidance-based coping, experiential avoidance, escapism, and problematic smartphone use. Furthermore, social anxiety, inadequate coping skills, alienation, and the desire to escape from the environment are evaluated as significant factors in the emergence of digital fugue behavior. Literature findings indicate that while digital devices may provide short-term psychological relief for individuals, they may be associated with decreased social interaction, loneliness, isolation, alienation, weakening of social skills, and mental health problems in the long term. In conclusion, digital fugue offers an important conceptual framework for understanding individuals' social and psychological needs in the digital age and establishes a novel research area for future empirical investigations.

Özet

Dijital teknolojiler, bireylerin günlük yaşamlarında giderek daha merkezi bir konuma yerleşmiş ve yalnızca iletişim veya bilgiye erişim aracı olmaktan çıkarak psikolojik ve sosyal işlevler de üstlenmeye başlamıştır. Bu derleme çalışmasında, bireylerin kaygı, sosyal baskı, stres veya rahatsızlık yaratan durumlarla başa çıkmak amacıyla dijital cihazlara yönelmelerini ifade eden "dijital füg" kavramı ele alınmıştır. Dijital füg, bireyin fiziksel olarak sosyal ortamda bulunmaya devam ederken zihinsel ve etkileşimsel olarak dijital dünyaya çekilmesi şeklinde tanımlanmaktadır. Bu yönüyle kavram, dijital bağımlılıktan ayrılmakta; sürekli ve kontrolsüz kullanım yerine durumsal ve bağlama özgü bir kaçış davranışını ifade etmektedir. Çalışmada dijital fügün kuramsal temelleri incelenmiş, kaçınma temelli başa çıkma, deneyimsel kaçınma, kaçışçılık ve sorunlu akıllı telefon kullanımı gibi ilişkili kavramlarla benzerlikleri ve farklılıkları tartışılmıştır. Ayrıca sosyal anksiyete, yetersiz başa çıkma becerileri, yabancılaşma ve çevreden kaçma isteğinin dijital füg davranışının ortaya çıkmasında önemli rol oynadığı değerlendirilmiştir. Literatür bulguları, dijital cihazların bireyler için kısa süreli psikolojik rahatlama sağlayabilmesine karşın, uzun vadede sosyal etkileşimin azalması, yalnızlık, izolasyon, yabancılaşma, sosyal becerilerin zayıflaması ve ruh sağlığı sorunlarıyla ilişkili olabileceğini göstermektedir. Sonuç olarak dijital füg, dijital çağda bireylerin sosyal ve psikolojik gereksinimlerini anlamada önemli bir kavramsal çerçeve sunmakta ve gelecekte yapılacak ampirik araştırmalar için yeni bir araştırma alanı oluşturmaktadır.

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Cite This Article

Kanbay, Y., Babaoğlu, E., Yalçıntürk, A. A., Akçam, A. (2026). Digital Fugue: An Ineffective Coping Method in the Digital Age. Psikiyatride Güncel Yaklaşımlar, Cilt: 18 Sayı: 4, 1633–1646. https://doi.org/10.18863/pgy.1895496

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