Uncovering the effects of non-hedonic social media use on knowledge workers’ depression through the conservation of resources theory

Abstract

Leveraging the conservation of resources theory, this study investigates the influence of non-hedonic social media (SM) uses, namely broad socialization, deep communication, information retrieval, and information sharing, on forming knowledge-working professionals’ depression through SM overload and strain. The analysis of a two-wave data collection with 440 participants suggests that broad socialization and information sharing have both positive and negative effects indirectly on depression. In contrast, deep communication and information retrieval are beneficial in reducing depression. Our study contributes to the existing literature by exploring the distinct effects of the four non-hedonic social media use on depression.