Digital Detox? A Mixed-Method Examination of Hedonic IT Abstinence Maintenance and its Effects on Productivity and Moderation of Use

Excessive use of hedonic information technologies can cause various adverse consequences. To alleviate the consequences, some users abstain (take a break) from them. While previous studies examined the intentions to abstain, our knowledge of how abstinence is maintained is limited. This paper uses a mixed-method approach to examine this issue. Based on a review of prior literature, a framework is proposed, highlighting the role of individuals’ motivations, habits, self-control, and the socio-environmental forces that influence the maintenance of hedonic IT abstinence. The framework is fine-tuned based on a qualitative study of individuals who took up to a week-long break from social networking sites (SNS) as a prominent case of hedonic IT. The refined model captures the roles of self-efficacy to abstain, IT habit, IT abstinence habit, and peer pressure on hedonic IT abstinence maintenance, which in turn explains positive changes in productivity and intention to moderate future use. The refined research model is tested via a quantitative study among a separate group of SNS users.