Keywords

social media hiatus, mental health, digital wellbeing, short-term abstinence

Abstract

In an era where social media ubiquity persists, concerns over its impact on mental health have escalated. This preliminary study investigates the effects of a one-hour daily social media hiatus on the mental wellbeing of 60 college students over two weeks. Unlike common interventions demanding prolonged abstinence, this research explores a more feasible, short-term avoidance approach. The experimental design, including treatment and control groups, illuminates the potential mental health benefits of brief, yet regular, digital disengagements. Preliminary results suggest that even minimal breaks from social media can yield significant improvements in users' mental health. Interestingly, these benefits come not from long-term changes in behaviour, but in changes to perception and resulting attitude related to social media usage. These findings contribute to the foundational groundwork for data-backed strategies, feasible strategies to mitigate social media's adverse effects. This study contributes to the nuanced discourse on balancing connectivity with mental health preservation.

Original Publication Citation

Gaskin, J., LeHue, A., & Daniel, K. (2024) “Intermittent Digital Fasting: The Mental Health Benefits of a One-Hour Daily Social Media Hiatus,” European Conference on Information Systems, Cyprus.

Document Type

Conference Paper

Publication Date

2024

Publisher

European Conference on Information Systems

Language

English

College

Marriott School of Business

Department

Information Systems Management

University Standing at Time of Publication

Full Professor

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