Correlates of social media fatigue and academic performance decrement

How do social and parasocial relationships on TikTok impact the well-being of university students? The roles of algorithm awareness and compulsive use

Social media now has emerged as one of the most widely used communication channels. The objective of this work is to verify the factors that influence the compulsive use of TikTok, as well as the mediating role of algorithm awareness, and to identify the predictors of well-being related to the use of TikTok. In the present work, the relevance of the study of PSRs and FoMO that affect the compulsive use of TikTok in young people is discussed. A total of 379 young university students (56.7 % girls) between 15 and 25 years old (M = 19.80; S.D. = 1.49) were surveyed using self-reports. Data treatment followed serial mediation through structural equation modeling. The results showed that exist significant relationships between these variables. Likewise, they reinforce the understanding of the diversity of the mechanisms of social and parasocial motivations on compulsive use and well-being. The results highlight the need to strengthen the training and education of young people in the appropriate and regulated use of TikTok in the university setting.

Artificial intelligence and social media on academic performance and mental well-being: Student perceptions of positive impact in the age of smart learning

The advancement of artificial intelligence (AI) and the ubiquity of social media have become transformative agents in contemporary educational ecosystems. The spotlight of this inquiry focuses on the nexus between AI and social media usage in relation to academic performance and mental well-being, and the role of smart learning in facilitating these relationships. Using partial least squares-structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) on a sample of 401 Chinese university students. The study results reveal that both AI and social media have a positive impact on academic performance and mental well-being among university students. Furthermore, smart learning serves as a positive mediating variable, amplifying the beneficial effects of AI and social media on both academic performance and mental well-being. These revelations contribute to the discourse on technology-enhanced education, showing that embracing AI and social media can have a positive impact on student performance and well-being.

Turning Lemons into Lemonade: Social Support as a Moderator of the Relationship Between Technostress and Quality of Life Among University Students

Purpose

The overuse of internet-based technologies as a means of coping with the stress they generate has resulted in an alarming level of addiction, adversely impacting the quality of life and overall health of younger individuals. This social detachment, in turn, contributes to both physical and mental health deterioration. The potential remedy for this predicament lies in the application of social support as an antidote to internet addiction. In this context, our present study employs the Stress-Strain-Outcome model to explore the indirect effects of internet addiction and the moderating role of social support in relation to the influence of technostress on the quality of life of adults.

Methods

We adopted a time-lagged design to collect data from university graduates and evaluated our study hypotheses using Mplus.

Results

Our empirical findings highlight the significant influence of technostress on internet addiction, with the latter significantly mediating the relationship between technostress and quality of life. Furthermore, our results reveal that social support effectively moderates the indirect effects of technostress on quality of life through its impact on internet addiction.

Conclusion

These findings can help researchers and educators better understand the underlying mechanisms between technostress and quality of life with social support as the silver lining. This form of social support holds the potential not only to alleviate internet addiction but also to positively enhance the quality of life and overall wellbeing of individuals facing these challenges. The implications of these findings and avenues for future research are also discussed.

The Double-Edged Sword Effect of Leaders' Fear of Missing Out on Leaders' Creativity: An Experience Sampling Method Study

Purpose

Fear of Missing out (FoMO) is a widely observed phenomenon in the workplace. Previous research has primarily focused on employees' FoMO, with limited exploration of leaders' FoMO and its impact on their creativity. This study aims to investigate how leaders' FoMO affects their creativity, based on the transactional stress theory.

Patients and Methods

Using an experience sampling method, we collected 836 observations from 102 leaders across various industries in China for two consecutive weeks (10 working days). Subsequently, hierarchical regression analysis and structural equation modeling were employed to test the hypotheses.

Results

This study suggests that both challenge stress and hindrance stress mediate the relationship between leaders' FoMO and their creativity. Role breadth self-efficacy moderates the relationship between leaders' FoMO and challenge stress and hindrance stress, and moderates the positive and negative mediating effects of challenge stress and hindrance stress in the relationship between leaders' FoMO and their creativity.

Conclusion

Research has shown that leaders' FoMO can either enhance creative performance by increasing challenge stress or inhibit it by increasing hindrance stress. Role breadth self-efficacy significantly amplifies the positive relationship between leaders' FoMO and challenge stress, while moderating the negative effect of leaders' FoMO on hindrance stress.

Innovations

Firstly, this study expands workplace FoMO research by illustrating the double-edged sword effect of leaders' FoMO on their creativity. Secondly, this study contributes to the academic community's comprehension of the underlying mechanisms linking leaders' FoMO and its outcomes by demonstrating the mediating role of challenge stress and hindrance stress. Thirdly, the study shows the boundary conditions for the effects of leaders' FoMO by validating the moderating role of their role breadth self-efficacy.

Mechanism study of social media overload on health self-efficacy and anxiety

Previous studies have found that people's excessive use of social media may have a negative impact on their crisis coping skills. This study focuses on the effects of social media overload (information overload, communication overload and social overload) on anxiety and health self-efficacy during the COVID-19 pandemic. The study used an online questionnaire and partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) to obtain data (816 valid samples), analyze the data and validate the model. The findings revealed that social media overload (information overload, communication overload and social overload) triggers increased social media fatigue, which in turn leads to the development of anxiety and the consequence of diminished health self-efficacy; social media fatigue plays a partially mediating role between social media and health self-efficacy and a fully mediating role between communication overload and health self-efficacy. The results of this study can inform the development of crisis communication strategies during public health emergencies.

The Mediating Role of Procrastination in the Relationship between Fear of Missing Out and Internet Addiction in University Students

This study aims to examine the potential mediating role of procrastination in the relationship between fear of missing out and internet addiction. Employing a cross-sectional research design, this study utilized a paper-pencil form to collect data from 315 students (65.4% undergraduate and 66.3% females) between 18 and 32 (Mage = 22.43; SD = 3.81) studying at a state university in Türkiye. Data were collected through the convenience sampling method. The study was designed as a survey model. This design was tested via mediation analysis. The participants completed self-report assessments using the Fear of Missing Out Scale (FoMOs), General Procrastination Scale (GPS-9), and Young Internet Addiction Scale (short form). The findings showed that FoMO had a significant positive direct effect on both procrastination (R2 = 0.13) and internet addiction (R2 = 0.33). Procrastination also had a significant positive direct effect on internet addiction (R2 = 0.34). Additionally, procrastination mediated the relationship between the fear of missing out and internet addiction (β = 0.156, p < 0.001). These findings not only extend the scope of existing research but also hold practical implications for the development of sustainable interventions. It is believed that the findings will contribute to the consideration of procrastination when preparing psychoeducation or group guidance programs for internet addiction. These interventions can effectively address the process through which fear of missing out leads to internet addiction by considering the significant role of procrastination in students. Findings typically suggest that procrastination behavior is a key factor in explaining the association between FoMO and internet addiction.

Exploring associations between social media addiction, social media fatigue, fear of missing out and sleep quality among university students: A cross-section study

BACKGROUND

Social media use has been linked to poor sleep outcomes among university students in the cyber age, but the association between the negative consequences of social media use and sleep problems is not yet well understood. The present study investigated the relationships among social media usage, social media fatigue (SMF), fear of missing out (FoMO), social media addiction (SMA) and sleep quality in university students.

METHOD

An online survey was administered to 2744 respondents that included the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI); questionnaires evaluating FoMO, SMF, and SMA; and questions regarding sleep duration, social media use, health status, and demographic information.

RESULT

A total of 19.9% of respondents suffered from sleep disturbance. A total of 15.6% of participants had sleep durations less than 5 h, and 21.6% of subjects had sleep durations longer than 9 h. Sleep quality was positively associated with SMF (OR = 1.387, 95% CI: 1.103~1.743), and SMA (OR = 1.415, 95% CI: 1.118~1.791). The relationship between FoMO and sleep disturbance was not significant. Compared to a sleep duration > 9 h, SMF increased the risk of shorter sleep durations [5-6 h sleep (OR = 2.226, 95% CI: 1.132~4.375), 6-7 h sleep (OR = 1.458, 95% CI: 1.061~2.002), and 7-8 h sleep (OR = 1.296, 95% CI: 1.007~1.670)]. FoMO and SMA did not significantly affect sleep duration. In addition, SMA (OR = 3.775, 95% CI: 3.141~4.537), FoMO (OR = 3.301, 95% CI: 2.753~3.958), and sleep disorders (OR = 1.284, 95% CI: 1.006~1.638) increased SMF.

CONCLUSION

Upon experiencing negative consequences of social media use, such as SMF and SMA, university students were likely to experience sleep problems. Further research exploring the interventions that improve sleep and alleviate negative consequences of social media use should be conducted.

Exploring college students' flourishing: The interplay of demographic characteristics, time allocation in daily activities and responsibilities, and sense of belonging

The purpose of this study is to investigate how college students' flourishing relates to their demographic characteristics, students allocating time in daily activities and responsibilities, and sense of belonging to the university. The total sample for this study includes 553 undergraduate students, of which 69% identified as female, 24% as male, 7% as non-binary, 29% as underrepresented minority (URM) students, and 38% as first-generation students. Method. The study utilized the ACHA-NCHA III survey data from a large public 4-year university. The researchers conducted an exploratory factor analysis to identify prominent components, resulting in seven constructed variables to measure students' level of involvement in managing roles related to their academic, extracurricular, and personal life. The researchers then used multiple regression models to examine the relationship between student flourishing outcomes and students' time allocation in fixed roles (as a student, caretaker, and employee) and other activities, and their sense of belonging to the university. The results showed that college students who assume additional roles besides being a student, who spend more time engaging in prosocial activities while balancing socializing, and have a strong sense of belonging, also have a higher level of flourishing. Conversely, media consumption was negatively associated with students' flourishing.

Understanding individual psychological and behavioral responses during COVID-19: Application of stimulus-organism-response model

To comprehend the nature, implications, risks and consequences of the events of the COVID-19 crisis, individuals largely relied on various online information sources. The features of online information exchange (e.g., conducted on a massive scale, with an abundance of information and unverified sources) led to various behavioral and psychological responses that are not fully understood. This study therefore investigated the relationship between exposure to online information sources and how individuals sought, forwarded, and provided COVID-19 related information. Anchored in the stimulus-organism-response model, cognitive load theory, and the theory of fear appeal, this study examined the link between the online consumption of COVID-19-related information and psychological and behavioral responses. In the theory development process, we hypothesized the moderating role of levels of fear. The research model included six hypotheses and was empirically verified on self-reported data (N = 425), which was collected in early 2021. The results indicate that continuous exposure to online information sources led to perceived information overload, which further heightened the psychological state of cyberchondria. Moreover, the act of seeking and providing COVID-19 information was significantly predicted by perceived cyberchondria. The results also suggest that higher levels of fear led to increased levels of seeking and providing COVID-19-related information. The theoretical and practical implications of these findings are presented, along with promising areas for future research.

Excessive technology use in the post-pandemic context: how work connectivity behavior increases procrastination at work

Purpose

Using role stress theory, this study examines how work connectivity behavior (WCB) blurs the lines between employees' work and personal lives, thereby encouraging procrastination at work (PAW). The study also investigates the importance of role stress and remote work self-efficacy (RWSE) as mediating and moderating factors, respectively.

Design/methodology/approach

The study examines the direct and indirect relationships between WCB and PAW using hierarchical regression and data from 415 Chinese teleworkers. RWSE is also estimated as a second-stage moderator.

Findings

The findings indicate that WCB has a direct and indirect (via role stress) positive influence on PAW; however, these effects are weaker among employees with higher (vs lower) RWSE.

Practical implications

This study assists managers and organizations in developing more efficient ways of maximizing employee and organizational performance while minimizing the counterproductive behaviors associated with excessive technology use.

Originality/value

By investigating the links between WCB and PAW in the post-pandemic context, this study adds a new perspective on how excessive technology use for work and non-work purposes can be counterproductive.

An investigation on information quality, media richness, and social media fatigue during the disruptions of COVID-19 pandemic

Mobile social platforms have become a valuable information source by which users gain information about the COVID-19 pandemic. However, little is known about whether users have experienced increased daily fatigue as a result of the disruptions caused by pandemic. Drawing on the cognitive activation theory of stress (CATS), this study proposed that two typical characteristics of social media platforms (SMP), information quality and media richness, are associated with event disruptions of the COVID-19 pandemic (EDC), and then induce social media fatigue. To address this, this study used the experience sampling method (ESM), collecting 550 matched cases from 110 users of the WeChat application in mainland China over five consecutive days. Through multilevel structural equation modeling (MSEM), this study discovered three main findings: (1) daily information quality is negatively related to event disruptions of the COVID-19 pandemic, which in turn decreases daily social media fatigue; (2) daily media richness is positively associated with such event disruptions, which ultimately increases daily social media fatigue; (3) these effects were stronger for users who reported higher (vs. lower) levels of health consciousness. The implications of these results for the COVID-19 pandemic and beyond are discussed.

How Differential Dimensions of Social Media Overload Influences Young People's Fatigue and Negative Coping during Prolonged COVID-19 Pandemic? Insights from a Technostress Perspective

Although social networking sites have emerged as the primary source of information for young people, there is a dearth of knowledge concerning the underlying associations between differential aspects of social media overload and whether social media overload ultimately influenced people's negative coping strategies during the prolonged COVID-19 pandemic. In order to fill this gap in existing knowledge, the current research employed the stressor-strain-outcome (SSO) theoretical paradigm to explicate social media fatigue and negative coping strategies from a technostress perspective. The study used cross-sectional methodology, whereby 618 valid questionnaire responses were gathered from WeChat users to assess the conceptual model. The obtained outcomes demonstrated that information overload and communication overload positively impacted young people's fatigue. Furthermore, these two patterns of perceived overload heighten social media fatigue, which ultimately leads to young people's negative coping with the COVID-19 pandemic. These findings would extend the present social media fatigue and technical stress literature by identifying the value of the SSO theoretical approach in interpreting young people's negative coping phenomena in the post-pandemic time.

Social media usage of chinese nursing students: Attitudes, motivations, mental health problems, and self-disclosure

BACKGROUND

Excessive self-disclosure online may risk the reputations, mental health problems, and professional lives of nursing students. This study investigated nursing students' usage of social media, their attitudes towards social media, mental health problems and self-disclosures, and the relationships of these variables.

METHODS

A cross-sectional study was conducted online (n = 1054) with questionnaires of Fear of Missing Out (FoMO), Social Media Fatigue (SMF), Students' Uses and Views of Social Media (SUVSM) and self-disclosure in social media which included self-information shown on social media and information viewed by others.

RESULTS

Although most of them held positive attitudes towards social media, 17.4% of the participants acknowledged that they had posted inappropriate contents online and 37.6% witnessed improper posts from schoolmates or teachers online. SMF was affected by familiar with relevant regulations on the social media usage (β = -.10, p < .001), FoMO (β = .41, p < .001), and SUVSM (β = .17, p < .001). Additionally, nearly 1/3 participants reported their net-friends could view following information: gender, age, occupation, education level and location. Self- disclosure in social media was positively influenced by education (β = .10, p < .001), sharing moments or Weibo, etc. (β = .009, P = 0.009), time spent on social media daily (β = .11, p < .001), accepting stranger's "friend request" (β = .06, P = 0.047), FoMO (β = .14, p < .001) and SMF (β = .19, p < .001). Furthermore, effect of SUVSM on self-disclosure in social media was mediated by FoMO and SMF.

CONCLUSION

Inappropriate contents are posted and witnessed by appreciable proportions of nursing students. Positive attitude towards social media may strengthen FoMO and SMF, which may increase self-disclosure in social media in turn.

How Does Misinformation and Capricious Opinions Impact the Supply Chain - A Study on the Impacts During the Pandemic

Misinformation or fake news has had multifaceted ramifications with the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic, creating widespread panic amongst people. This study investigates the impact of misinformation/ fake news (on internet platforms) on consumer buying behavior, impact of fear (created by fake news) on hoarding of essential products and consumer spending and finally impact of misinformation-induced panic buying on supply chain disruptions. It draws upon the consumer decision theory and the cognitive load theory for explaining the psychological and behavioral responses of consumers. The study follows an inductive approach towards theory building using a multi-method approach. Initially, a qualitative research method based on interviews followed by text-mining has been used followed by analysis using python for topic modelling using Latent Dirichlet Allocation (LDA). The findings revealed several prominent themes like consumer shift to online buying, two contrasting spending intentions namely financial security and compensatory consumptions, irrational panic buying, uncertainty/ambiguity of government protocol and norms, social media fraudulent practices and misinformation dissemination, personalized buying experience, reduced trust on news and marketers, logistics and transportation bottlenecks, labor shortage due to migration and plant closures, and bullwhip effect in supply chains.

Remote working and digital transformation during the COVID-19 pandemic: Economic-financial impacts and psychological drivers for employees

Digital and Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) and, consequently, remote working have increased since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. However, workers' economic-financial perception of remote working conditions, such as digital technology and its implementation, has scarcely been researched. Therefore, this study aims to investigate the economic-financial impacts of remote working on labourers. Using a mixed-methods sequential exploratory design, a sample of 976 workers is investigated. This study highlights that the majority of workers experience a negative economic-financial impact due to the additional costs incurred for digital technology and platforms and for utilities as well as the non-payment of overtime and meal vouchers, which are higher than the savings in commuting costs and out-of-pocket expenses. Furthermore, this research emphasizes that psychological-behavioural variables, specifically job satisfaction and technostress, are essential in the choice to continue working remotely after the COVID-19 pandemic. Finally, our results have important theoretical implications related to the existing literature both on the managerial issues connected to digital transformation, with interdisciplinary elements linked to psychological aspects, and on corporate finance topics associated to the economic-financial impacts of remote working.

Psychometric properties of the Utrecht Work Engagement Scale for Students (UWES-S) in the Taiwanese context

Academic engagement in recent years has become the focus of determining student learning and achievement. However,despite this growing awareness that has revolutionized academic policies and educational approaches, literature on engagement in the academic context is still in its infancy. This study seeks to remedy this through the confirmation of the Utrecht Work Engagement Scale for Students' (UWES-S) promising psychometric properties and by providing empirical evidence on the relationship between academic engagement, personality traits, and social media addiction, a determinant that has yet to be explored. Our findings indicate that of the five personality traits analyzed, agreeableness had the strongest negative correlation with academic engagement, and perhaps equally as striking is the positive, albeit insignificant, association between social media and academic engagement. Furthermore, the most informative and least informative items for academic engagement were identified using IRT analysis. Finally, this study also addresses several gaps in the literature by determining that the one-factor construct of the UWES-S is an adequate measure of academic engagement compared to its three-factor counterpart and by demonstrating the measurement invariance of the UWES-S across gender, class year, and academic major in our sample of Taiwanese undergraduates.

Problematic social media use and associated consequences on academic performance decrement during Covid-19

Based on the Stressor-Strain-Outcome (SSO) model, this study investigates the mechanism by which problematic social media use (PSMU) influences academic performance decrement via two psychological factors namely, technostress and exhaustion. It also identifies the social media usage characteristics of undergraduate students in Saudi Arabia during Covid-19. An online questionnaire was distributed to undergraduate social media users from Shaqra University. Analysis of the 312 responses shows that PSMU is a significant stressor affecting both technostress and exhaustion and thus reducing academic performance. Moreover, both are important mediators in the link between PSMU and decline in academic performance. WhatsApp, Snapchat, Twitter and Instagram are the most popular social media networks used by the undergraduates while Facebook and Skype are the least preferred. Roughly one-third (31.41%) of the students spend more than six hours a day on social media. The findings will help educators and other stakeholders to design appropriate interventions and strategies to minimize the unfavourable effects of social media in academia.

Effect of social media overload on college students’ academic performance under the COVID-19 quarantine

Features and relevant services of online social media have been attracting users during the COVID-19 pandemic. Previous studies have shown that college students tend to use social media more frequently than other groups. However, in being affected by social media overload, the social media use behaviors of many college students have been out of their control in terms of their capabilities or cognition. Based on the stressor–strain–outcome (SSO) model and the theory of compensatory internet use (TCIU), we developed a research model to study the causes of social media overload and its impact on college students’ academic performance during the COVID-19 pandemic. A total of 441 valid responses from college students through questionnaires in China are collected via purposive sampling and used in the data analysis. This study conducts PLS-SEM to analyze collected data, finding that boredom proneness is associated with overload (stress), which has a bearing on social media overload (strain) and the reduction in final performance (outcome). Through illustrating the psychological and behavioral conditions that hinder the academic performance of students, this study provides deeper insights into students’ uncontrollable use of social media. Moreover, with respect to the identified antecedents, this study aims to find solutions to mitigate the impact of social media overload resulting from boredom proneness on the academic performance of college students.

User characteristics, social media use, and fatigue during the coronavirus pandemic: A stressor–strain–outcome framework

Social networking platforms allow people to connect and socialize online, but the extant research suggests that increased social media (SM) use also leads to fatigue, affecting individual well-being. During the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic when millions of people were confined to their homes, SM use surged, posing questions about changes in individual SM use behaviors and effects. Guided by the stressor–strain–outcome framework and SM use research, this study examined the relationship among personal factors (gender, caregiving, income), two stressors (SM use intensity and risk concern about COVID-19), and the strain of SM fatigue. Survey data of 192 U.S. adult SM users were collected in late March of 2020. Our quantitative data analysis shows that SM fatigue increased significantly as individual concern about COVID-19 increased. Meanwhile, gender and caregiving responsibilities significantly impacted SM use intensity. Surprisingly, the predicted effect of SM use intensity on SM fatigue was not supported. Additional factor analysis revealed three motives of SM use (entertainment, networking, and collaboration) and quantitative analysis revealed that only the networking use of SM increased SM fatigue significantly. The results highlight the importance of considering individual risk concern and SM use motives when studying individual SM fatigue during crises.

Social media fatigue: Causes and concerns

BACKGROUND

Social Media Fatigue (SMF) has seen a significant increase through the COVID-19 pandemic. It refers to high levels of information overload experienced due to extensive usage of social media.

AIM

To understand the causes and consequences for mitigating social media fatigue.

METHODS

PRISMA model was followed, and 20 papers were consolidated from the years 2014 to 2021. Seven papers were screened out due to duplication and exclusion criteria.

RESULTS

The studies found implicated the existence of four umbrella factors, like Cognitive Factors, Self and Personality Factors, Environmental Factors and Social Factors. Self and Personality Factors include personal and intrinsic factors that make one susceptible to developing SMF more easily, whereas aspects like increased boredom and information overload include cognitive factors that increase susceptibility to SMF. Environmental and Social Factors include aspects like parenting and social media role conflict respectively.

CONCLUSIONS

The current findings have implications to promote research to assess the levels of social media fatigue among the individuals and to evolve psychotherapeutic interventions and digital literacy programs to manage social media fatigue among the community.

Digital Engagement and Academic Functioning

Abstract. Since the turn of the millennium, the digital revolution has opened a new layer of opportunities for adolescents to participate, create and learn. Simultaneously there has been growth in both debate and worries regarding how the intensive engagement with digital media affects students’ academic performance, engagement, and school-related well-being, that is, academic functioning. Students’ continuously evolving digital practices are not always in congruence with the more traditional ways of schoolwork. Students flourish and fulfill their potential when the informal and formal practices of learning reach congruence, but when this is not the case, frictions can emerge. Spending time with digital media can provide new avenues for learning and development, but it can equally well divert young people from their studies or increase the daily demands. In this narrative review, we address these continuities and discontinuities between engagement with digital media and academic functioning for school-aged children and young people, focusing on meta-analyses, reviews, and key studies. Following the examination of the current literature, we conclude that, in general, the field of “digital media effects” needs to move beyond screen time and utilize the research on the students’ multidimensional socio-digital engagement already conducted. Second, we conclude that the average effects of digital engagement on academic functioning are negligibly small but heterogeneous, further corroborating the claim to examine the qualitative differences in students’ digital engagement, the individual differences between students, as well as the contextual interplay.

Is the Global Pandemic Driving Me Crazy? The Relationship Between Personality Traits, Fear of Missing Out, and Social Media Fatigue During the COVID-19 Pandemic in Nigeria

Individ    uals' psychological behaviors and fear of missing out are affected by the global pandemic. This study investigates how individual "Big Five" personality traits influence fear of missing out leading to social media fatigue, the impact of social media fatigue on social media fatigue behavior during the COVID-19 lockdown. As a result, this study proposes and develops a model using the structural equation modelling for data obtained from young adults in the South-Western region of Nigeria. Results show the impact of openness, conscientiousness, and extraversion emotional instability was positively significant towards fear of missing out over the use of social media during COVID-19, whereas the effect of agreeableness and emotional stability were insignificant towards fear of missing out over the use of social media during COVID-19. In addition, the impact of the fear of missing out on social media fatigue influences social media fatigue behavior. Theoretical and managerial implications for "Big Five" personality traits, fear of missing out, social media fatigue, and social media behaviors are provided.

How compulsive WeChat use and information overload affect social media fatigue and well-being during the COVID-19 pandemic? A stressor-strain-outcome perspective

Social media has been increasingly utilized as an effective avenue for individuals to obtain needed social support and health-related information, especially during the on-going global COVID-19 pandemic. However, surprisingly few empirical studies have concentrated on the detrimental impact of social media adoption on young adults' psychosocial well-being and mental health. Drawing upon previous stressor-strain-outcome theoretical paradigm (SSO), the present research investigates how psychosocial well-being assessments, especially compulsive WeChat use and information overload could trigger social media fatigue and, furthermore, how social media fatigue would ultimately result in emotional stress and social anxiety. This article utilized the cross-sectional design whereby statistical data were collected from 566 young people to test the conceptual research model. This research results demonstrate that perceived information overload through WeChat could significantly trigger social media fatigue among young people. Moreover, perceived information overload could indirectly predict emotional stress and social anxiety through the mediation of social media fatigue. This present work has vital theoretical and practical implications for widespread adoption of newly emerging communication technologies to enhance mental health and well-being among younger generation during recent public health crises.

Trait Anxiety and Social Media Fatigue: Fear of Missing Out as a Mediator

Background

Interdisciplinary literature indicates different correlates of social media fatigue (hereinafter: SMF). Some studies show that high levels of anxiety may induce lowered Internet use and lead social media users to withdraw from Internet activities. Since the relationship between anxiety and social media use is complex, it is important to investigate mediating factors that may indirectly contribute to or exacerbate this association. Therefore, the main aim of this study is to verify whether fear of missing out (hereinafter: FoMO) is a potential factor accounting for why anxiety is associated with SMF.

Participants Methods and Data Collection

The research was conducted on a group of 264 adolescents and adults (85% women). The mean age of the respondents was M = 23.76 with SD = 5.98 (range = 14-50 years). The data were collected via online social networking among college students, their family members and friends. The participants answered the Trait Anxiety Scale (TAS), Social Media Fatigue Scale (SMFS), Fear of Missing Out Scale (FoMO), and  Revised Life Orientation Test (LOT-R).

Results

The outcomes showed that respondents with higher levels of trait anxiety report more intense cognitive, behavioral, emotional, and overall online fatigue. Concurrently, individuals who experience  FoMO on the Internet declare being tired of social media use. Moreover, FoMO mediates the association between trait anxiety and all three dimensions of SMF, and its overall result.

Conclusion

The present research increases our understanding of the possible role of apprehension related to missing out on the anxiety and fatigue connected to engagement in social media. It is possible to assess that trait anxiety might induce higher SMF when individuals experience a general apprehension that others are doing or having things that they do not.

Does social media usage evoke employees' spirituality? A cross-level moderation model of inclusive leadership

Purpose

The purpose of this study is to investigate the impact of social media usage (SMU) and relational energy on employees' workplace spirituality within an organization from a psychological perspective.

Design/methodology/approach

This study proposes a research model based on self-determination theory. This research model was tested using a cross-level hierarchical regression analysis. Data were collected from 276 knowledge workers on 39 teams in 37 enterprises in China.

Findings

SMU has a significant positive impact on employees' relational energy and workplace spirituality. Relational energy partially mediates the relationships of cognitive usage and social usage of social media with workplace spirituality and fully mediates the relationship between hedonic usage of social media and workplace spirituality. Inclusive leadership positively affects workplace spirituality and acts as a negative cross-level moderating variable on the relationship between hedonic usage and workplace spirituality.

Practical implications

This work suggested that with appropriate SMU implications, enterprises might be able to integrate spirituality into human resource management practices to improve employees' meaningful life experiences within organizations.

Originality/value

The authors’ findings not only help to theoretically clarify the relationship between SMU and workplace spirituality but also enrich the relevant research on SMU in enterprises to improve employees' spiritual life within the organization.

A Preliminary Validation of the Polish Version of the Social Media Fatigue Scale

Background

As social media fatigue is a newly described phenomenon, we do not possess many tools to measure this concept. The main aim of the study was to establish a latent structure of the Social Media Fatigue Scale (SMFS) and to identify whether the Polish version is congruent with the Chinese version. The second aim was to examine whether the factor structure fits the data and yields a comparable goodness-of-fit index. The third aim was to consider the convergent validity of the SMFS and to verify whether tiredness and Internet addiction correlate positively.

Methods

The research was conducted on a group of 331 (1st Study) and 379 (2nd Study) adolescents and young adults. It was performed using the SMFS and Internet Addiction Test (IAT).

Results

The outcomes suggest that the three-factor structure is the optimal and reliable solution that corresponds to the original SMFS. CFA provided a good fit. All the dimensions of the SMFS correlated positively with Internet addiction.

Conclusion

The Polish version of the SMFS presented satisfactory psychometric properties, showing many similarities with the original Chinese version of the SMFS. The findings confirm that excessive use of social media may lead to discomfort and negative emotions related to feeling overwhelmed by information, social interaction overload, and personal/others' expectations.

COVID-19 information overload and generation Z's social media discontinuance intention during the pandemic lockdown

While previous research highlights the benefits of social media in times of a pandemic, this research focuses on the potential dark side of social media use among Generation Z (Gen Z) in the UK during the COVID-19 pandemic lockdown between March and May 2020. The study reveals that COVID-19 information overload through social media had a negative impact on Gen Z social media users' psychological well-being. Moreover, perceived information overload heightened both social media fatigue and fear of COVID-19, which, in turn, increased users' social media discontinuance intention. In addition, considering that social media is the predominant method of maintaining connectivity with others for Gen Z users during the lockdown, the fear of missing out (FoMO) buffered the impact of social media fatigue and fear of COVID-19 on Gen Z users' social media discontinuance intention. Our research adds a hitherto underexplored perspective to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on young people's mental health. We offer a series of practical suggestions for social media users, social media platform providers, and health officials, institutions, and organizations in the effective and sustainable use of social media during the global COVID-19 pandemic and in the post-pandemic time.

Sharing of fake news on social media: Application of the honeycomb framework and the third-person effect hypothesis

Sharing of fake news on social media platforms is a global concern, with research offering little insight into the motives behind such sharing. This study adopts a mixed-method approach to explore fake-news sharing behaviour. To begin with, qualitative data from 58 open-ended essays was analysed to identify six behavioural manifestations associated with sharing fake news. Thereafter, research model hypothesizing the association between these behaviours was proposed using the honeycomb framework and the third-person effect hypothesis. Age and gender were the control variables. Two data sets obtained from cross-sectional surveys with 471 and 374 social media users were utilized to test the proposed model. The study results suggest that instantaneous sharing of news for creating awareness had positive effect on sharing fake news due to lack of time and religiosity. However, authenticating news before sharing had no effect on sharing fake news due to lack of time and religiosity. The study results also suggest that social media users who engage in active corrective action are unlikely to share fake news due to lack of time. These results have significant theoretical and practical implications.

Does role conflict influence discontinuous usage intentions? Privacy concerns, social media fatigue and self-esteem

Purpose

Using WeChat moments as an example, this article explores the impact of user role conflict on privacy concerns, social media fatigue and the three dimensions of discontinuous usage intention: control activities, short breaks and suspend usage intentions. Moreover, the moderating function of self-esteem in this process is examined.

Design/methodology/approach

The conceptual model includes role conflict, privacy concerns, social media fatigue, discontinuous usage intention and self-esteem. Three hundred and thirty-one questionnaires were collected using an online survey, and the data were analyzed with structural equation and hierarchical regression modeling.

Findings

The results show that (1) role conflict positively affects privacy concerns and social media fatigue; (2) privacy concerns also positively affect social media fatigue; (3) privacy concerns positively affect control activities intentions, although their impact on short breaks and suspend usage intentions is not significant, whereas social media fatigue significantly influences control activities, short breaks and suspend usage intentions; and (4) self-esteem negatively moderates the influence of role conflict on privacy concerns.

Research limitations/implications

A key limitation of this research is that it is designed for WeChat. Therefore, the question of whether other social media platforms face role conflict or discontinuous usage problems should be explored in the future.

Originality/value

The article is interesting in that it focuses on the discontinuous usage of social media and identifies factors that contribute to the discontinuous usage of social media. The findings make some theoretical contributions to, and have practical implications for, research into social media usage.