Perceptions of Social Media Use on College Students’ Burnout

In recent years, the US public increasingly turned to social media for socialization (Bendau et al., 2020; Maheux et al., 2021). This transition was concerning, as many previous studies correlated increased frequency and duration of social media use with negative mental health outcomes (AlHardi et al., 2021; Hammad & Alqarni, 2021). However, some studies correlated positive mental health outcomes with social media usage when used to connect with friends (Huddart et al., 2020; Maheux et al., 2021). The purpose of this study is to investigate the impact of the frequency, duration, quality, and perception of social media use on social media burnout. Fifty-four US college students completed an online survey. Participants reported the frequency, duration, quality and perception of their social media use. Multiple regression analyses revealed that participants reported decreased levels of social media burnout as frequency and perception of use increased. Depression was significantly influenced by perception of social media use, as hypothesized; however, this relationship was unexpectedly positive. Participants who perceived social media use in a positive life nonetheless reported higher levels of depression. These results can have important implications for social media users who have mental health concerns or are at risk of developing them