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PurposeSocial media overload and fatigue have become common phenomena that are negatively affecting people's well-being and productivity. It is, therefore, important to understand the causes of social media overload and fatigue. One of the reasons why many people engage with social media is to avoid boredom. Thus, the purpose of this paper is to investigate how boredom proneness relates to social media overload and fatigue.Design/methodology/approachBuilding on the stress–strain–outcome framework, this paper tests a model hypothesizing the relationships between a social media user's boredom proneness, information and communication overload, and social media fatigue. The study tests the model by collecting data from 286 social media users.FindingsThe results suggest a strong association between boredom proneness and both information and communication overload, which, in turn, are strongly associated with social media fatigue. In addition, social media usage was found to amplify the effects of information overload on social media fatigue, but, unexpectedly, attenuates the effects of communication overload.Originality/valuePrior research has largely overlooked the connection between boredom and problematic social media use. The present study addresses this important gap by developing and testing a research model relating boredom proneness to social media overload and fatigue.

The use of information and communication technology (ICT) can be accompanied by the epiphenomenon of ICT-related overload, or the emotional and cognitive state that occurs when individuals are unable to efficiently retrieve and process information delivered by or associated with these technologies. While prior research tends to ascribe this phenomenon to the amount of information delivered, this study presents and provides significant empirical support for an expanded cognitive perspective of ICT-related overload, which views individuals' information-processing capabilities as being reliant on differences in mental representations associated with cultural, demographic, and experiential factors. Specifically, based on a survey with 1,004 mobile phone users, we find that (1) polychronic individuals experience less ICT-related overload than monochronics; (2) memories of past emotional and cognitive overload increase ICT-related overload; and (3) age has inverse effects on different overload dimensions. Altogether, our findings challenge myths about information overload and multitasking, support a multidimensional conceptualization of ICT-related overload, and suggest ways that managers can reduce overload and leverage polychronicity.

Purpose The purpose of this study is to examine how technology overload (system feature, information, and communication overload) influences salespeople’s role stress (role conflict and role ambiguity), effort to use technology and performance. This research examines whether these relationships are linear or quadratic. It also examines the moderating effect of salespeople’s technology self-efficacy. Design/methodology/approach Salespeople at a national company providing services to small and medium companies were surveyed via an online instrument to measure key constructs and control variables. Over 200 usable responses resulted; structural equation model was used to analyze the data. Findings Results show that dimensions of technology overload had linear and/or quadratic relationships with role stress, effort to use technology and performance. Salesperson’s technology self-efficacy moderated the relationship between technology overload, effort to use the technology and performance. Practical implications The benefits from new technology are not always linear. Managers should regulate the timing of technology improvements, as well as the availability of information, communication and system features, to reduce role stress and enhance efforts to use technologies. Originality/value Drawing on the job demand and resource model, this research demonstrates that technology used as a job resource will aid the salesperson and company; however, when technology overload exists, it becomes a job demand with the potential to enhance role stress and decrease salesperson performance.

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to investigate the effects of social network sites (SNS) overload on individual job performance and discontinuous usage intention.Design/methodology/approachBased on the Stressor-Strain-Outcome (SSO) framework, a research model was proposed and tested empirically. The partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) method was applied to data collected online through a questionnaire.FindingsFindings highlighted that social overload is related positively to information overload and communication overload. Information overload affected only the perception of work overload, while communication overload was a significant stressor affecting work overload and dissatisfaction towards SNS. Although results revealed a positive relationship between these two strains, only dissatisfaction influenced job performance and discontinuous usage intention.Originality/valueAs much as SNS are a useful tool in the workplace, they can have significant drawbacks. Prior studies have investigated this dark side. However, they scantily explored the effects of SNS overload on both job performance and discontinuous usage intention. Moreover, the relationships between types of overload are understudied. This paper proposes an enrichment of the literature by validating a model of the relationships between information overload, communication overload and social overload, job performance and discontinuous usage intention. It extends prior research on SNS stressors and points out the communication overload as the main SNS stressor affecting strains in the workplace.

PurposeThis paper investigates the moderating role of multitasking computer self-efficacy on the relationship between social media affordances and social media overload as well as its moderation between social media overload and social media fatigue.Design/methodology/approachThe authors hypothesize that social media affordances will have a positive impact on social media overload (i.e. information and communication overload). They also hypothesize that social media overload will affect social media fatigue. In addition, they hypothesize that multitasking computer self-efficacy will attenuate the effect of social media affordances on both information overload and communication overload. Similarly, they also hypothesize that multitasking computer self-efficacy will attenuate the effects of both information overload and communication overload on fatigue. The authors test this model by collecting two-wave data from 220 professionals using PLS techniques.FindingsSocial media affordances have significant impacts on information overload, but not on communication overload. In turn, information overload and communication overload significantly affect social media fatigue. Multitasking computer self-efficacy was found to attenuate the effect of social media affordances on both information overload and communication overload. Furthermore, the study results suggest that multitasking computer self-efficacy attenuates the effect of information overload and reinforces the effect of communication overload on social media fatigue.Originality/valueMost prior literature focused on students rather than on professionals. There is a lack of research that investigates how the affordances of social media relate to social media overload and fatigue. Furthermore, research that investigates mitigating mechanisms of social media fatigue has been rare. This paper fills these important research gaps.

PurposeDuring the digital media era with an explosion of messages, the prevalence of what is known as “message fatigue” has grown. However, there is a lack of understanding toward message fatigue in using instant messengers. Based on the stressor-strain-outcome framework, this study provides a theoretical model to explore possible predictors and consequences of instant messaging fatigue.Design/methodology/approachThe hypothesized model includes communication overload, social overload, instant messaging fatigue, technology and behavioral intention to use instant messaging. Three hundred and eleven responses are collected using an online survey. The authors conduct structural equation modeling to evaluate the hypothesized model and test the hypotheses.FindingsThis study reveals that (1) communication overload and social overload are positively associated with instant messaging fatigue and technostress; (2) higher levels of instant messaging fatigue and technostress are also related to a higher level of intention to discontinue usage; (3) technostress significantly mediates the relationship between instant messaging fatigue and intention to discontinue usage of instant messaging.Research limitations/implicationsThis study is limited to collect data from one university in the United States with a cross-sectional design. Future research should include other countries, different age groups and longitudinal methods to examine instant messaging fatigue.Originality/valueThis study extends existing findings on fatigue in using mobile communication by applying the stressor-strain-outcome framework to IM fatigue and improves the understanding of the potential negative aspects of instant messaging.

Purpose This study aims to examine some of the benefits and drawbacks of communication visibility. Specifically, building on communication visibility theory, the authors study how and why message transparency and network translucence may increase knowledge reuse and perceived overload through behavioral responses of vicarious learning and technology-assisted supplemental work. Design/methodology/approach Drawing on survey data obtained from 1,127 employees of a global company operating in the industrial machinery sector, the authors used structural equation modeling to test the hypothesized model. Findings The results demonstrate that the two aspects of communication visibility yield somewhat differential benefits and drawbacks in terms of knowledge reuse and communication overload, through vicarious learning and supplemental work practices. Research limitations/implications The results demonstrate the relationship between different aspects of communication visibility and knowledge reuse, specifically through vicarious learning. Furthermore, the findings highlight a potential drawback of visibility – communication overload – specifically through technology-assisted supplemental work. Overall, network translucence seems more beneficial compared to message transparency in terms of knowledge reuse and communication overload. Originality/value The study connects with recent work on communication visibility by distinguishing differential direct and indirect effects of message transparency and network translucence. It also extends this work by testing relationships between communication visibility and a potential drawback of visibility – communication overload – specifically through technology-assisted supplemental work.

Drawing on the cognitive load theory (CLT), this study develops a research framework to investigate the effects of different psychosocial factors in virtual meeting attendees on their engagement behavior. Two hundred ninety-eight online surveys were collected. PLS-SEM was employed to analyze the proposed hypotheses. The results showed that information overload and communication overload impact virtual meeting attendees' engagement directly and indirectly through mental fatigue and self-efficacy. This study also reveals that attendees with different motivations (education vs. networking) are influenced differently by mental fatigue and self-efficacy. The findings of the current research offer actionable implications for event planners to improve attendees' engagement during the virtual meeting.

Social media applications have increasingly become a valuable platform for personal communication and knowledge sharing in working life. Several researchers have considered the direct role of social media usage in influencing job performance. However, limited studies explore how social media use may impact employees’ job performance, especially in innovativeness. Moreover, inconsistencies in the findings exist in the literature regarding whether social media improves employees’ job performance or causes harm. By adapting the stressor–strain–outcome (SSO) model, the present study investigates how WhatsApp use at work can predict social media overloads that might induce technostress and, subsequently, affect employees’ innovative job performance. Thus, 206 Malaysian employees from the government and private sectors participated in this study and the data were analyzed using partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM). The findings show that social media, predominantly WhatsApp, used at work has a mild but statistically significant influence on information overload, communication overload, and social overload. In addition, information overload and communication overload positively influence technostress, except for social overload. Subsequently, technostress does not have an impact on innovative job performance. This study provides theoretical and practical implications for extending the knowledge and mitigating plans and efforts to improve employees’ performance at work. Therefore, this study helps mitigate the dearth of research pertaining to the roles of social media use at work on employees’ innovative job performance.

PurposeDrawing on the transactional model of stress, this study develops a theoretical model to understand the lurking behavior on enterprise social media (ESM).Design/methodology/approachBased on a questionnaire survey, this research study collected valid data from 301 ESM users in the workplace. Hierarchical regression analyses are used to analyze the conceptual framework.FindingsThe results show that Zhongyong thinking is a significant predictor of lurking and emotional exhaustion and that lurking can cause emotional exhaustion. Lurking mediates the relationship between Zhongyong thinking and emotional exhaustion. Additionally, communication overload moderates the relationship between lurking and emotional exhaustion as well as the indirect relationship between Zhongyong thinking and emotional exhaustion through lurking.Originality/valueThis article examines the antecedents of lurking by considering Zhongyong thinking and explores how lurking on ESM influences emotional exhaustion. This research contributes to the literature on techno-stressors, lurking and ESM and hopefully contributes to the growing dialog about the consequences of lurking in the workplace.