"Living Within Four Walls": Exploring Emotional and Social Dynamics in Mobile Usage During Home Confinement

Home confinement, a situation experienced by individuals for reasons ranging from medical quarantines, rehabilitation needs, disability accommodations, and remote working, is a common yet impactful aspect of modern life. While essential in various scenarios, confinement within the home environment can profoundly influence psychological well-being and digital device usage. In this study, we delve into these effects, utilising the COVID-19 lockdown as a special case study to draw insights extending to various homebound situations. We conducted an in-situ study with 32 participants living in states affected by COVID-19 lockdowns for three weeks and analysed their emotions, well-being, social roles, and mobile usage behaviours. We extracted user activity from app usage records in an unsupervised manner, and experimental results revealed that app usage behaviours are effective indicators of emotional well-being in confined environments. Our research has great potential for developing supportive strategies and remote programs, not only for people facing similar medical isolation situations, but also for individuals in long-term home confinement, such as those with chronic illnesses, recovering from surgery, or adapting to permanent remote work arrangements.