Managing Procrastination on Social Networking Sites: The D-Crastinate Method

Abstract

Procrastination refers to the voluntary avoidance or postponement of action that needs to be taken, that results in negative consequences such as low academic performance, anxiety, and low self-esteem. Previous work has demonstrated the role of social networking site (SNS) design in users’ procrastination and revealed several types of procrastination on SNS. In this work, we propose a method to combat procrastination on SNS (D-Crastinate). We present the theories and approaches that informed the design of D-Crastinate method and its stages. The method is meant to help users to identify the type of procrastination they experience and the SNS features that contribute to that procrastination. Then, based on the results of this phase, a set of customised countermeasures are suggested for each user with guidelines on how to apply them. To evaluate our D-Crastinate method, we utilised a mixed-method approach that included a focus group, diary study and survey. We evaluate the method in terms of its clarity, coverage, efficiency, acceptance and whether it helps to increase users’ consciousness and management of their own procrastination. The evaluation study involved participants who self-declared that they frequently procrastinate on SNS. The results showed a positive impact of D-Crastinate in increasing participants’ awareness and control over their procrastination and, hence, enhancing their digital wellbeing.

Designing for Digital Wellbeing: From Theory to Practice a Scoping Review

“…A third group of scholars, such as [43,[69][70][71][72], referred to Google's DWB tools or Google's statement of commitment "giving everyone the tools they need to develop their own sense of digital wellbeing." Google's commitment statement emphasised providing enabling tools for users to enhance their lives by stressing that first, technology represents tools in life, not the life itself as it is a virtual medium, and that second, users have complete autonomy to design the tools to protect their well-being (user centred).…”

“…The DWB issues being addressed through these interventions and tools included problematic internet and phone usage, problematic attachments to social media, procrastination and social network sites, and others. Examples of papers under this category are [40,70,74].…”

“…For example, the authors in [121] studied the mobile usage and its impact on users' emotions, similarly, [116] explored the relationships between users' moods and life-style with task switching online and productivity using Mindgauge and RescueTime which are free mobile applications available online. The authors in [70] studied social networking site (SNS) features and their impact on procrastination habits, and the team in [72] studied the relationship between personal and cultural traits on the acceptance and rejection of joining online peer support groups for combating digital addiction. The relationship between online behaviour, evoked emotions, and problematic attachment to social media was studied by [44].…”

Challenges and Opportunities of Using Redirection of Activity for Self-Regulation Online

“…A particular domain to which digital behavior change has been applied is digital self-regulation, in which researchers investigate intervention strategies for self-regulation and self-control of online behavior via, for instance: increasing awareness of 'procrastination' habits, [2,3,46], therapeutic inventions [90], gamifcation [5], alterations to the UI of specifc social media sites [32,49,62], and even rotation between diferent intervention features [50,53]. In one of the most comprehensive meta reviews on design features of existing digital self-control tools, Lyngs et al [61] propose a map of existing tools based on their intervention strategy as the strategy relates to a dual systems model of self-regulation, where System 1 control is driven by environmental inputs and internal states, and behaviors are more often 'automatic', and System 2 control is driven by goals, intentions, and rules held in conscious working memory.…”