Less social media use–more satisfied, work-engaged and mentally healthy employees: an experimental intervention study

Abstract

Intensive Social Media Use (SMU) can negatively impact employees’ work performance and mental health. The present experimental study investigated how a reduction of daily SMU time influences employees from different professional sectors in Germany. The experimental group (N = 84; age: M = 29.38, SD = 5.84) reduced its non-work-related SMU by 30 min daily for seven days; the control group (N = 82; age: M = 30.06, SD = 8.39) used Social Media (SM) as usual. Work-related variables and mental health-related variables were assessed via online surveys at three measurement time points (baseline; post-intervention; one-week follow-up). The intervention significantly reduced the experience of work overload, stress symptoms, fear of missing out and addictive SMU. Work satisfaction, work engagement and positive mental health increased significantly. The present findings reveal that less time spent on SMU leads to increased work motivation and higher levels of mental health. Employers and employees should take the present findings into account. Business coaching programmes, mental health promotion programmes and clinical interventions could benefit from the integration of a controlled reduction of SMU time.