Taking a break: The effect of taking a vacation from Facebook and Instagram on subjective well-being

Abstract

Social Networking Sites (SNS) such as Facebook and Instagram have relocated a large portion of people’s social lives online, but can be intrusive and create social disturbances. Many people therefore consider taking an “SNS vacation.” We investigated the effects of a one-week vacation from both Facebook and Instagram on subjective well-being, and whether this would vary for passive or active SNS users. Usage amount was measured objectively, using RescueTime software, to circumvent issues of self-report. Usage style was identified at pre-test, and SNS users with a more active or more passive usage style were assigned in equal numbers to the conditions of one-week SNS vacation ( n = 40) or no SNS vacation ( n = 38). Subjective well-being (life satisfaction, positive affect, and negative affect) was measured before and after the vacation period. At pre-test, more active SNS use was found to correlate positively with life satisfaction and positive affect, whereas more passive SNS use correlated positively with life satisfaction, but not positive affect. Surprisingly, at post-test the SNS vacation resulted in lower positive affect for active users and had no significant effects for passive users. This result is contrary to popular expectation, and indicates that SNS usage can be beneficial for active users. We suggest that SNS users should be educated in the benefits of an active usage style and that future research should consider the possibility of SNS addiction among more active users.

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

“…Active use involves producing content and communicating with others, such as posting a photo, sharing a status, or commenting on another person's post (Verduyn et al, 2015). Passive use involves consuming content without directly interacting with others, such as scrolling through one's feed or viewing others' posts (Hanley et al, 2019). Passive use is associated with declines in subjective well-being (Verduyn et al, 2017), whereas active use is associated with improvements in subjective well-being (Verduyn et al, 2017) and less loneliness (Burke et al, 2010).…”

Quitting social media: a qualitative exploration of communication outcomes

“…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).…”

“…For most participants, a fear of returning to negative patterns kept them firm in a desire to remain digitally disconnected. As previous heavy users of Instagram, this makes sense, as research specific to the site has often pointed to social comparison behaviors and negative effects on well-being (de Vries, Moller, Weiringa, Eigenraam, & Hamelink, 2018;Hanley et al, 2019). When it was suggested to some participants they might create a "work connections only" account, concerns about appropriate use and backsliding were voiced.…”

“…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. Vanman, Baker, and Tobin (2018) went a step further in their analysis, measuring not only the perception of well-being in participants, but also cortisol levels.…”

“…Importantly, each of these studies relied on experimental designs which, while helpful to consider, created artificial conditions by which users ceased engagement with social media. This can be seen in the fact Hanley et al (2019) witnessed a decrease in positive affect in those who were forced to quit who were typically active on social media, suggesting it may not be representative of the benefits or drawbacks which can occur. Similarly, with continued nonuse, Vanman et al likely experienced the same, wherein users were forced to quit were less happy, but also less stressed.…”