The influence of information and social overload on academic performance: The role of social media fatigue, cognitive depletion, and self-control

Abstract

The growing reliance on social media and unlimited access to information have raised concerns about their impact on mental health and academic performance. This study examines how information and social overload influence fatigue, cognition, and the academic performance of university students, with a particular focus on the moderating role of self-control. The sample consisted of 320 university students from China (M = 20.51, SD = 1.52), of which 73.4% were women and 26.6% were men. Through a structural model based on the stress-outcome framework and the ego depletion theory, the relationships between these variables are explored. The findings reveal that information overload significantly contributes to social media fatigue, indicating that excessive use of information leads to mental exhaustion in students. This fatigue increases cognitive depletion, reducing students' ability to concentrate and process information. As a result, this depletion negatively impacts their academic performance. Furthermore, self-control is identified as a significant moderator in the relationship between information overload and fatigue, highlighting its importance in managing the negative effects associated with intensive social media use. This study provides valuable insights into the interaction between information use, self-control, fatigue and academic performance, offering relevant implications for the well-being and academic success of university students.