Flow on Social Media? Rarer Than You'd Think
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arXiv
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| Format: | Preprint |
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2026
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| _version_ | 1866915803948908544 |
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| author | Knierim, Michael T. Schulz, Thimo Schiller, Moritz Shaban, Jwan Nadj, Mario Wilson, Max L. Maedche, Alexander |
| author_facet | Knierim, Michael T. Schulz, Thimo Schiller, Moritz Shaban, Jwan Nadj, Mario Wilson, Max L. Maedche, Alexander |
| contents | Researchers often attribute social media's appeal to its ability to elicit flow experiences of deep absorption and effortless engagement. Yet prolonged use has also been linked to distraction, fatigue, and lower mood. This paradox remains poorly understood, in part because prior studies rely on habitual or one-shot reports that ask participants to directly attribute flow to social media. To address this gap, we conducted a five-day field study with 40 participants, combining objective smartphone app tracking with daily reconstructions of flow-inducing activities. Across 673 reported flow occurrences, participants rarely associated flow with social media (2 percent). Instead, heavier social media use predicted fewer daily flow occurrences. We further examine this relationship through the effects of social media use on fatigue, mood, and motivation. Altogether, our findings suggest that flow and social media may not align as closely as assumed - and might even compete - underscoring the need for further research. |
| format | Preprint |
| id |
arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2602_16279 |
| institution | arXiv |
| publishDate | 2026 |
| record_format | arxiv |
| spellingShingle | Flow on Social Media? Rarer Than You'd Think Knierim, Michael T. Schulz, Thimo Schiller, Moritz Shaban, Jwan Nadj, Mario Wilson, Max L. Maedche, Alexander Human-Computer Interaction Researchers often attribute social media's appeal to its ability to elicit flow experiences of deep absorption and effortless engagement. Yet prolonged use has also been linked to distraction, fatigue, and lower mood. This paradox remains poorly understood, in part because prior studies rely on habitual or one-shot reports that ask participants to directly attribute flow to social media. To address this gap, we conducted a five-day field study with 40 participants, combining objective smartphone app tracking with daily reconstructions of flow-inducing activities. Across 673 reported flow occurrences, participants rarely associated flow with social media (2 percent). Instead, heavier social media use predicted fewer daily flow occurrences. We further examine this relationship through the effects of social media use on fatigue, mood, and motivation. Altogether, our findings suggest that flow and social media may not align as closely as assumed - and might even compete - underscoring the need for further research. |
| title | Flow on Social Media? Rarer Than You'd Think |
| topic | Human-Computer Interaction |
| url | https://arxiv.org/abs/2602.16279 |