Log off to Level Up: The Effect of Social Media Hiatus on Goal Pursuit

Concerns are growing that social media, with its constant notifications and attention-grabbing content, may distract individuals and hinder progress toward important goals. Despite its pervasive presence in our lives, the impact of social media on goal achievement has not been thoroughly studied. This within-subject experimental study aims to investigate the effects of social media hiatus (SMH), a short abstinence from social media usage, on goal pursuit processes. Participants ( N = 107) completed daily diaries over three consecutive days of SMH and three days of regular social media use. SMH was manipulated by blocking participants’ access to multiple social media platforms. The results found that SMH predicted greater goal progress. In addition, SMH did not affect implementation planning but led to a better ability to resist temptations that conflict with important goals and greater volitional strength to pursue goals. The present research, in showing that even a short non-usage of social media can exert some effects on goal advancement outcomes, draws attention to the potential negative influence of social media and proposes regulation of social media use as a strategy to facilitate goal pursuit.