People who experience stress from browsing Facebook might be at risk of developing an addiction to the popular social media site.
A new study found that when people face negative feelings from browsing Facebook, they do not log off or delete their apps. They search for distraction in the same social media platform, creating a loop that might lead to internet addiction.
How People Cope With Technostress
In the study published in the Information Systems Journal, researchers surveyed 444 Facebook users in Germany to understand how people cope with "technostress"or the stress derived from the use of technology.
Some of the participants respond to technostress by switching off and engaging in unrelated activities to distract themselves. However, the researchers found that some divert their attention by using the social media platform even more.
"While it might seem counter-intuitive, social media users are continuing to use the same platforms that are causing them stress rather than switching off from them, creating a blurring between the stress caused and the compulsive use," explained study co-author Monideepa Tarafda of Lancaster University Management School.
Because social media sites offer several different features in one app, users can escape from stress within the same platform. On Facebook, for example, users can either chat with friends or play games to distract themselves if the content from their Newsfeed caused negative feelings.
The researchers also found that people who use social media more often are more likely to be trapped in a vicious cycle. They need less effort to find distraction within the social media platform and, therefore, more likely to stay logged in rather than switch off.
"This can even form a symptom of addiction, where you constantly look for a short-term fix from the very thing that is causing you long-term problems," the researchers wrote in The Conversation.
How To Avoid Social Media Addiction
Several previous studies found that excessive use of social media can have negative effects, especially to the mental health of young people. The researchers suggested that users who feel negative feelings while using sites like Facebook or Twitter should put their phone down rather than seek distraction from elsewhere within the app.