Abstinence from social media use, subjective well‐being, stress, and loneliness

Abstract

Purpose: Studies with experimental designs in which the association between participants’ subjective well‐being and their use of social media is studied remain rare. This study tested the effect of abstaining from social media use on participants’ well‐being, affect, perceived stress, and sense of perceived loneliness. Design and Methods: Randomized, controlled design. Sixty‐eight participants were randomized to one of two conditions. Findings: Those who abstained from social media use, compared with those in the control group, evidenced a decline in life satisfaction, an increase in negative affect, and an increase in loneliness. Practice Implications: Excessive social media use poses deleterious consequences for users, but abstinence may not necessarily exact positive changes; this outcome is dependent on the functions for which social media are used.

Investigating Binge-Watching Adverse Mental Health Outcomes During Covid-19 Pandemic: Moderating Role of Screen Time for Web Series Using Online Streaming

“…12 Moreover, evidence from cohort research has also supported that binge-watching could be associated with stress. 8 The results of hypothesis 3 are consistent with the past research suggesting emergent psychological issues such as loneliness owing to the addictive use of digital technologies.- 42,45 These addictive behaviors among the binge-watchers isolate the individuals from their real-life situations and align them more with the realities of binge-watching. As a result, the individuals feel a sense of loneliness when their real-life realities and mediated realities are incompatible.…”

“…Studies have identified the association between the growing addictive use of digital technologies and increases in the level of loneliness. 42,45 Therefore, presumably, people may experience feelings that include a sense of loss, longing for more, melancholy, and feelings of emptiness and frustration after watching multiple series. Based on this empirical evidence, we hypothesize that; H3.…”

Habits and the electronic herd: The psychology behind social media’s successes and failures

“…On the individual side, frequent or passive users may benefit from cessation, as a 1-week break from Facebook increased these users' life satisfaction and positive emotions (Tromholt, 2016). However, other research has found that short periods of abstinence have no effect (e.g., Agadullina et al, 2020;Hall et al, 2019) or have negative effects such as increased loneliness and decreased life satisfaction (Vally & D'Souza, 2019;Vanman et al, 2018). The habit-forming nature of social media may thus, like most habits, yield a range of costs and benefits.…”

Does Social Media Use Increase Depressive Symptoms? A Reverse Causation Perspective

“…For instance, Hall et al (40) manipulated social media use by randomly assigning undergraduates to varying durations of abstinence (0, 2, 3, and 4 weeks) and found that social media abstention did not account for changes in loneliness or subjective well-being [see (41) for similar finding]. Moreover, Vally and D'Souza (42) showed that a week-long abstinence from social media led to reduced life satisfaction and increased negative affect and perceived stress.…”