The effect of individual perceived dissimilarity on social media fatigue: the mediating role of social anxiety

Abstract

PurposeThe increasing social media use has been widely recognized for its adverse effects, such as social media fatigue. With the continuously increasing friends on social media, the dissimilarity of individuals in terms of age, personality, and values has increased. It is unclear whether perceived dissimilarity with others is associated with social media fatigue. The authors attempted to bridge this gap by constructing a “perception–emotion–behavioral” research framework. This study investigated the influence of individual perceived dissimilarity on social media fatigue. The authors further investigated the mechanisms mediating the three dimensions of social anxiety in the model.Design/methodology/approachThis study examined the mechanisms by which individual perceived dissimilarity influences social media fatigue, particularly using WeChat application. A field survey study conducted in China with 408 subjects of WeChat app users was used in this study to analyze the study model.FindingsThe obtained results demonstrate that individual perceived dissimilarity has a significant positive effect contributing to social media fatigue, perceived dissimilarity is positively correlated to social anxiety. Social anxiety positively affects social media fatigue, and social anxiety partially mediates the positive effect between perceived dissimilarity and social media fatigue.Originality/valueFirst, the study confirmed the influence of perceived dissimilarity on social media fatigue, which may enrich the antecedent mechanisms of social media fatigue. Second, the authors demonstrated the social anxiety-mediated development of fatigue. The findings provide an in-depth understanding of users' fatigue. Third, the findings of this study provide valuable insights for preventing of social media fatigue.