Taking a Break from Social Media? A Multi-method Investigation of Social Media Abstinence Duration

Abstract

The rise in compulsive media use has led to adverse outcomes for individuals, such as reduced life satisfaction and deteriorated performance. As a result, many people have chosen to abstain (take breaks) from social media use to mitigate these negative effects. While prior research has examined drivers of decisions to abstain versus not, we still need to understand what happens after people make abstinence decisions (e.g., to address how long people can abstain or what makes some people abstain longer than others). To address this need, we first propose a research model that includes compulsive use, attitude toward abstinence, and mood during abstinence as predictors for how long people will abstain from social media. We conducted two studies. In the first study, we conducted a variable-centered analysis to examine data from volunteers who agreed to take up to a one-week break from social media. In the second study, we conducted a person-centered analysis along with the validated factors and a new dataset to develop a typology that delineates four user profiles: challenged strivers, moderate strugglers, successful maintainers, and steadfast controllers. Each profile exhibits unique characteristics and experiences distinct outcomes with regard to social media abstinence. Findings from the second study complement the first and contribute to explaining social media abstinence in a more nuanced way.