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

Abstract

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.

Exploration of vulnerability factors of digital hoarding behavior among university students and the moderating role of maladaptive perfectionism

“… 40 Another study from 618 WeChat users confirmed that information overload and communication overload positively impacted young people's fatigue. 41 However, despite the existing body of research examining the impact of technology-induced stress and information overload on negative behaviors, 42 there remains a dearth of studies explicitly exploring the potential link between information overload and DHB among university students. Thus, a third hypothesis has been formulated for this study: H3 : There exists a positive association between information overload and the DHB exhibited by college students.…”