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Things online social networking can take away: Reminders of social networking sites undermine the desirability of offline socializing and pleasures
Author(s) -
Li ShiangShiang,
Chang Yevvon YiChi,
Chiou WenBin
Publication year - 2017
Publication title -
scandinavian journal of psychology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.743
H-Index - 72
eISSN - 1467-9450
pISSN - 0036-5564
DOI - 10.1111/sjop.12348
Subject(s) - psychology , internet privacy , social psychology , social desirability , online and offline , social media , world wide web , computer science , operating system
People are beginning to develop symbiotic relationships with social networking sites ( SNS s), which provide users with abundant opportunities for social interaction. We contend that if people perceive SNS s as sources of social connection, the idea of SNS s may reduce the desire to pursue offline social activities and offline pleasures. Experiment 1 demonstrated that priming with SNS s was associated with a weakened desirability of offline social activities and an increased inclination to work alone. Felt relatedness mediated the link between SNS primes and reduced desire to engage in offline social activities. Experiment 2 showed that exposure to SNS primes reduced the desirability of offline socializing and lowered the desire for offline pleasurable experiences as well. Moreover, heavy users were more susceptible to this detrimental effect. We provide the first experimental evidence that the idea of online social networking may modulate users’ engagement in offline social activities and offline pleasures. Hence, online social networking may satisfy the need for relatedness but undercut the likelihood of reaping enjoyment from offline social life.