Saving but Not Acting: How Hoarding Health Information on Social Media Inhibits Real-World Health Behavior?

With the growing volume of health-related content on social media, concerns have emerged regarding whether such information effectively promotes real-world health behavior. This study examines the relationship between digital hoarding of health information and offline health actions. Based on survey data from social media users (N = 500), the findings indicate that frequent behaviors such as saving, liking, or screenshotting health content are negatively associated with the likelihood of engaging in actual health practices. This relationship is mediated by anxiety, which increases as individuals accumulate more digital information, ultimately hindering behavioral follow-through. Additionally, fear of missing out intensifies the anxiety triggered by digital hoarding, further suppressing offline health action. Unexpectedly, self-efficacy amplified rather than reduced the negative impact of anxiety on health behavior. The study contributes to a deeper understanding of how digital information behaviors shape offline outcomes and offers implications for improving the design and delivery of health content in digital environments.