The impact of information overload on the information avoidance of medical staff: The moderating and mediating roles of job performance and time pressure

This study aims to explore whether social media information overload affects medical staff's information avoidance behavior and the extent to which time pressure mediates and job performance moderates this relationship. We analyze survey data on 586 medical staff from 11 hospitals in China using bootstrapping. The results demonstrate that medical staff's social media information overload has a significant positive effect on their information avoidance behavior and that time pressure plays a partial mediating role. Additionally, job performance moderates the impact of social media information overload on information avoidance. Further, high-performing medical staff's social media information overload has a greater impact on their information avoidance behavior than that of medical staff with low job performance. This study satisfies the call for an in-depth investigation of social media information avoidance by uncovering the relationship between social media information overload and the job performance of medical staff. The findings not only shed light on intention from an informational overload perspective but also provide fresh insights for practitioners on how to strategically manage information overload. Medical staff are suggested to be aware of both the positive and the negative effects of social media on their work and life as well as secure the time to deal with social media information to benefit from the convenience that social media brings to their work and life spheres without spending too much time on social media, which negatively affects working time. Healthcare institution managers should avoid sending too much information to high-performing medical staff, as information overload may cause them to be more inclined to “hide from” this information in reality. • We examine medical staff's information overload, particularly from social media. • We also explore its relationship with their information avoidance behavior. • We find a positive relationship between the two factors. • Time pressure partial mediates medical staff's information overload and avoidance. • Medical staff's job performance moderates the association between information overload and information avoidance.