Social media discontinuance: the salient roles of dark side and regret

Abstract

ABSTRACT This study examines why some social media users choose to stop using these platforms, despite their widespread popularity. The research suggests that negative experiences associated with social media, which is referred to as the dark side of social media, can lead to feelings of regret and a desire to discontinue use. Privacy controls are also found to be important factors in users' decisions to discontinue using social media. Using case studies and an interpretive approach, the study proposes a new theoretical model for understanding social media discontinuance intention. It shows that regret is influenced by the dark side of social media that includes cyberbullying, misinformation, information overload, misuse, and online social stress. Regret and privacy control both influence discontinuance intention. In addition, the model identifies privacy controls as mitigating tools for regret, and summarizes privacy control types and methods that can alleviate the effects of dark side.