Addicts without Substance? Social Media Addiction when Facebook Shuts Down

TL;DR

This study investigates the psychological effects of a government-imposed social media ban in Sri Lanka, revealing insights into social media use, non-use, and associated distress during an unprecedented 14-day shutdown.

Contribution

It provides one of the first empirical analyses of social media non-use and use during a sudden nationwide ban, highlighting the continuum between these states and their psychological impacts.

Findings

Social media non-use increased during the ban.

Psychological distress was associated with social media non-use.

The study reveals a continuum between social media use and non-use.

Abstract

In March 2018, a series of anti-social and racial riots in Sri Lanka led to a government-controlled ban of all social media use in the country for 14 days. This nation-wide ban included the use of all social media such as Facebook, Twitter and communication apps like WhatsApp, Viber and WeChat. Until the day of the sanctions, a population of 23 million in Sri Lanka had never experienced government sanctions, restrictions or interventions on social media use. This sudden ban provided a unique window of opportunity to investigate social media non-use and use and how it might lead to psychological distress. Using a longitudinal study design of two surveys, analyzing data of 476 and 205 respectively, this study makes insightful preliminary observations of social media non-use and use continuum.