A1 Journal article (refereed)
Social media overload, exhaustion, and use discontinuance : Examining the effects of information overload, system feature overload, and social overload (2020)

Fu, S., Li, H., Liu, Y., Pirkkalainen, H., & Salo, M. (2020). Social media overload, exhaustion, and use discontinuance : Examining the effects of information overload, system feature overload, and social overload. Information Processing and Management, 57(6), Article 102307. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ipm.2020.102307

JYU authors or editors

Publication details

All authors or editors: Fu, Shaoxiong; Li, Hongxiu; Liu, Yong; Pirkkalainen, Henri; Salo, Markus

Journal or series: Information Processing and Management

ISSN: 0306-4573

eISSN: 1873-5371

Publication year: 2020

Volume: 57

Issue number: 6

Article number: 102307

Publisher: Elsevier

Publication country: United Kingdom

Publication language: English

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ipm.2020.102307

Publication open access: Not open

Publication channel open access: 

Abstract

While users’ discontinuance of use has posed a challenge for social media in recent years, there is a paucity of knowledge on the relationships between different dimensions of overload and how overload adversely affects users’ social media discontinuance behaviors. To address this knowledge gap, this study employed the stressor–strain–outcome (SSO) framework to explain social media discontinuance behaviors from an overload perspective. It also conceptualized social media overload as a multidimensional construct consisting of system feature overload, information overload, and social overload. The proposed research model was empirically validated via 412 valid questionnaire responses collected from Facebook users. Our results indicated that the three types of overload are interconnected through system feature overload. System feature overload, information overload, and social overload engender user exhaustion, which in turn leads to users’ discontinued usage of social media. This study extends current technostress research by demonstrating the value of the SSO perspective in explaining users’ social media discontinuance.

Keywords: social media; overloading; exhaustion; stress (biological phenomena)

Free keywords: social media; technology discontinuance; overload; stressor-strain-outcome; exhaustion

Contributing organizations

Ministry reporting: Yes

Reporting Year: 2020

JUFO rating: 2