Experimentally manipulating social media abstinence: results of a four-week diary study

Hall, Jeffrey A.; Xing, Chong; Ross, Elaina M. Ross M.; Johnson, Rebecca

doi:10.1080/15213269.2019.1688171

Cited by 89 publications

(66 citation statements)

References 27 publications

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“…For example, of the eight aggregate usage experiments described in one exhaustive open-source review compiled by scholars on both sides of the social media/well-being debate (J. Haidt and J. Twenge, unpublished), six revealed a negative effect of aggregate social media use on some [27][28][29] or all [30][31][32] of the well-being measures they administered (although 37's effects were specific to Instagram, not Facebook). By contrast, one experiment revealed mixed positive and negative results [33] and another null [34] findings.…”

Section: Box 1 the Jingle-jangle Problemmentioning

confidence: 75%

Social Media and Well-Being: Pitfalls, Progress, and Next Steps

Kross

Verduyn

Sheppes

et al. 2021

Trends in Cognitive Sciences

251

207

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Within a relatively short time span, social media have transformed the way humans interact, leading many to wonder what, if any, implications this interactive revolution has had for people's emotional lives. Over the past 15 years, an explosion of research has examined this issue, generating countless studies and heated debate. Although early research generated inconclusive findings, several experiments have revealed small negative effects of social media use on well-being. These results mask, however, a deeper set of complexities. Accumulating evidence indicates that social media can enhance or diminish well-being depending on how people use them. Future research is needed to model these complexities using stronger methods to advance knowledge in this domain. The Puzzle: Does Social Media Impact Well-Being? Humanity had flirted with the idea of building a machine capable of spreading ideas quickly throughout the world for over 2000 years before all of the pieces necessary to do so finally came together for Johannes Gutenberg in the mid-1400s, while he was working on the shores of the Ill River in Strasburg [1]. It rested largely on Gutenberg's invention of a technique for pressing movable type (think of a scrabble set made of metal) against paper and ink to create a printed page [1] (https://www.britannica.com/biography/Johannes-Gutenberg). Prior to Gutenberg's invention, it would take up to 2 months to produce a single copy of a book. Now printers could produce 8000 copies during the same time [1]. Highlights Social media has revolutionized how humans interact, providing them with unprecedented opportunities to satisfy their social needs. An explosion of research has examined whether social media impacts wellbeing. First-and second-generation studies examining this issue yielded inconsistent results. An emerging set of third-generation experiments has begun to reveal small but significant negative effects of overall social media use on well-being. The results of these experiments mask the complexities characterizing the relationship between social media and wellbeing. Whether it enhances or diminishes well-being depends on how and why people use it, as well as who uses it. People use social media for different reasons (e.g., to manage impressions, to share emotions), which influence how it impacts their own and other people's well-being.

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Section: Box 1 the Jingle-jangle Problemmentioning

confidence: 75%

Social Media and Well-Being: Pitfalls, Progress, and Next Steps

Kross

Verduyn

Sheppes

et al. 2021

Trends in Cognitive Sciences

251

207

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

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“…Similar to previous studies, there was not an objective measure of SNS usage. Hall et al (2019) found no significant effects of quitting SNS for one to four weeks, and Hanley et al (2019) found that a one week vacation from Facebook and Instagram had no significant effect on passive users and resulted in a lower positive affect for active users. Hall et al (2019) measured compliance by checking participants' activity on their social media platforms, although this method cannot detect passive usage, and Hanley et al (2019) measured usage amount through Res-cueTime software, demonstrating an increased focus in the field on objective measures of SNS use.…”

mentioning

confidence: 96%

Too Much of a Good Thing: Who We Follow, What We Do, And How Much Time We Spend on Social Media Affects Well-Being

Hunt¹,

All²,

Burns³

et al. 2021

Journal of Social and Clinical Psychology

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Introduction: Given previous experimental research on the benefits of limiting time spent on social media and correlational research linking active use to better well-being, we designed an experimental study to investigate the effects of limiting time and increasing active use on social media on well-being. Method: After completing a survey on who they followed on social media and undergoing a week of baseline monitoring, 88 undergraduates at a private university were randomly assigned to either limit Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and Snapchat use to 30 minutes in total per day and increase their active use, just limit their use to 30 minutes per day, or continue to use social media as usual for three weeks. Results: The initial survey revealed that following more friends was negatively correlated with loneliness whereas following more strangers was positively correlated with depression. Highly depressed participants in the limited use group showed significant reductions in depression compared to the control group, but the active group did not show similar benefits. Highly active participants in the active group reported greater loneliness and anxiety and lower self-esteem at week 4 compared to less active participants in the active group, whereas the most passive participants in the control group showed the worst depression overall. Discussion: Our findings suggest that following friends rather than strangers and limiting time spent on social media may lead to significant improvements in well-being, and that moderately active engagement may be the most adaptive.

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“…The findings from this study help to clarify past research and paves the way for future analysis of the benefits and drawbacks to quitting social media. Importantly, the majority of participants in this study had been social media free for a year or more, allowing for a broader understanding of the implications related to social media nonuse compared to past work, which often experimentally had participants quit for a week to a month (e.g., Hall et al, 2019;Hanley et al, 2019;Tromholt, 2016). Similarly, most past work focused on just quitting a single site rather than all social media; it can be much easier to walk away from one site when there is an alternative option (e.g., leaving Facebook for Instagram).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Part of this equation assumes there are benefits to quitting: research from Hall, Xing, Ross, and Johnson (2019) found there to be no difference in well-being between those who quit social media over the course of a month and those who maintained use. Similarly, Hanley, Watt, and Coventry (2019) assessed taking a one-week break from social media and did not find any significant shift in life satisfaction of those who took a break, suggesting it may be a short term and minimal effect, if any, on well-being.…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Quitting social media: a qualitative exploration of communication outcomes

Pennington

2020

Qualitative Research Reports in Communication

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Qualitative interviews (N = 20) were conducted to investigate how individuals who previously used social media but had since quit perceived the benefits and drawbacks of nonuse. Findings from the interviews suggest users experienced several communicative benefits, including an increase in meaningful interactions with close relational partners and a decrease in social comparison with weak ties. On the other hand, many participants experienced drawbacks to quitting social media as well, expressing concerns primarily regarding job networking, and many also stated they felt "out of the loop" with the rest of the world around them regarding viral internet content. Implications related to social media nonuse as it relates to the existing literature are discussed.

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Experimentally manipulating social media abstinence: results of a four-week diary study

Cited by 89 publications

References 27 publications

Social Media and Well-Being: Pitfalls, Progress, and Next Steps

Social Media and Well-Being: Pitfalls, Progress, and Next Steps

Too Much of a Good Thing: Who We Follow, What We Do, And How Much Time We Spend on Social Media Affects Well-Being

Quitting social media: a qualitative exploration of communication outcomes

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