A Behaviour and Information Technology study indicated that lowering social media use by 30 minutes per day improves mental health, commitment, and job satisfaction. The study included 166 non-work social media users who spent at least 35 minutes a day.
It was reported that lowering social media use by 30 minutes each day could increase mental health, commitment, and job satisfaction. According to the report, social media is important to many people worldwide.
Engaging material affects many users’ mental health and causes FoMO (Fear of Missing Out) by making them worry about missing out on critical network events when they’re not online.
According to Julia Brailovskaia, Associate Professor at Ruhr University Bochum’s Mental Health Research and Treatment Center, “We suspect that people tend to use social networks to generate positive emotions that they’re missing in their everyday working lives, especially when they’re feeling overworked.”
She continued, “In addition, some platforms like LinkedIn also offer the opportunity to look for new jobs if you’re unhappy with your current role.”
Escape from reality onto social media may boost your mood in the short term, but it can lead to addictive behavior that harms mental health.
The team conducted an experiment to investigate these links, according to a Behaviour and Information Technology study.
The study included 166 part-time or full-time workers from various fields who spent at least 35 minutes a day on non-work-related social media.
The study assigned random individuals to two groups, one of which did not affect their social media habits.
The other group cut social media use by 30 minutes every day for seven days.
Participants completed online questionnaires about their workload, commitment, mental health, job satisfaction, FoMO, stress levels, and addictive social media use before, during, and one week after the experiment.
Brailovskaia stated, “Even after this short period, we found that the group that spent 30 minutes less, daily on social media significantly improved their job satisfaction and mental health. This group felt less overworked and was more devoted at work than the control group.”
Their FoMO fell as they used social media less. The effects remained at least a week after the experiment, and in some cases, they intensified.
Participants who cut their social media use willingly kept it up after a week.
The researchers also expected that limiting social media use would give participants more time to work, reducing stress and divided attention.
Social media may also prohibit people from interacting with coworkers in person, limiting personal connection and actual touch and alienating others.
Conclusion
A research in Behaviour and Information Technology proposes lowering social media use by 30 minutes each day to increase mental health, commitment, and job satisfaction. The study included 166 part-time or full-time workers who spent 35 minutes a day on non-work social media. One group did not change their social media habits, while the other cut back by 30 minutes every day for seven days.
The group that spent 30 minutes less on social media daily had better job satisfaction and mental wellness. They worked less and were more committed than the control group. Reduced social media use reduced FoMO for at least a week after the experiment.
The researchers also believed that limiting social media use would give individuals more time to work, avoiding overwork and fragmented attention. Social media can also prohibit people from interacting with coworkers in person, diminishing personal connection and alienating others.
