Checking in to Check out? The Effect of Boredom on Craving, Behavioural Inhibition and Social Networking Site Use

Mood modification is widely considered a motive of social networking site (SNS) use, especially among problematic users, but few empirical studies on this topic have been published. The present study aims to investigate the impacts of boredom on craving, behavioural inhibition and SNS usage for users at greater and lesser risk of “addiction”. One hundred fourteen undergraduate students (85.09% female) were presented with either a boredom-inducing or control manipulation in this experiment. Following this mood induction, participants completed a Go/No-Go task modified with control and SNS-related visual cues. Participants were then presented with an unexpected, real-world boring situation, and SNS use during this period was noted. Subjective levels of craving and boredom were measured throughout the experiment. Findings demonstrate that users may view SNS as a mood modifier in the sense that craving was found to increase following experiences of boredom, and bored participants were more likely to use SNS during a waiting period. However, no differences were found between participants based upon risk of SNS addiction. These findings demonstrate that the typical experiential pattern found within addiction of dysphoric mood, enhanced craving and usage may simply be, in the context of SNS, a behavioural pattern of modern life.