Exploring the effect of overload on the discontinuous intention of social media users: An S-O-R perspective

A research model is developed to explore the effect of overload on the discontinuous intention of social media users, and three types of overload are proposed in the social media context: information, communication, and social overloads.

Abstract

Pervasive social media access has induced excessive technology use that can lead to overload, which may produce negative psychological and behavioral consequences for people who suffer from it. Drawing on the S-O-R framework, we develop a research model to explore the effect of overload on the discontinuous intention of social media users, and propose three types of overload in the social media context: information, communication, and social overloads. They are assumed to impact the internal psychological states (i.e., exhaustion and regret) of users, which in turn motivate them to quit. An empirical study of 258 Chinese social media users provides general support for our hypotheses. However, the impact of information overload on regret is insignificant; the relationship between communication overload and exhaustion is also insignificant. The theoretical and practical implications of this study are discussed.