Taking a break: The effect of taking a vacation from Facebook and Instagram on subjective well-being

Sarah M Hanley, Susan E Watt, William Coventry, Sarah M Hanley, Susan E Watt, William Coventry

Abstract

Social Networking Sites (SNS) such as Facebook and Instagram have relocated a large portion of people's social lives online, but can be intrusive and create social disturbances. Many people therefore consider taking an "SNS vacation." We investigated the effects of a one-week vacation from both Facebook and Instagram on subjective well-being, and whether this would vary for passive or active SNS users. Usage amount was measured objectively, using RescueTime software, to circumvent issues of self-report. Usage style was identified at pre-test, and SNS users with a more active or more passive usage style were assigned in equal numbers to the conditions of one-week SNS vacation (n = 40) or no SNS vacation (n = 38). Subjective well-being (life satisfaction, positive affect, and negative affect) was measured before and after the vacation period. At pre-test, more active SNS use was found to correlate positively with life satisfaction and positive affect, whereas more passive SNS use correlated positively with life satisfaction, but not positive affect. Surprisingly, at post-test the SNS vacation resulted in lower positive affect for active users and had no significant effects for passive users. This result is contrary to popular expectation, and indicates that SNS usage can be beneficial for active users. We suggest that SNS users should be educated in the benefits of an active usage style and that future research should consider the possibility of SNS addiction among more active users.

Conflict of interest statement

The authors have declared that no competing interests exist.

Figures

Fig 1. Moderation effect of active user…
Fig 1. Moderation effect of active user score on the effect of experimental condition on change in positive affect from T1 to T2.
Positive scores indicate an increase in T2, negative scores indicate a decrease. The unstandardized betas (bi) and significance (p) are reported, adjacent to each line, for the simple slopes analysis of the interaction.
Fig 2. Marginally significant moderation effect of…
Fig 2. Marginally significant moderation effect of active user score on the effect of experimental condition on change in negative affect from T1 to T2.
Positive scores indicate an increase in T2, negative scores indicate a decrease. The unstandardized betas (bi) and significance (p) are reported, adjacent to each line, for the simple slopes analysis of the interaction.

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Source: PubMed

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