| 英文摘要 |
The present study aimed to explore the psychological processes experienced by university students with a strong fear of missing out (FoMO) when they temporarily suspended social media use during specific times of the day, and to investigate how such restrictions influenced their experience of positive living. Social media has become a central means of interaction in the digital era, but excessive and unregulated engagement is often associated with anxiety, compulsive checking, and diminished well-being. In particular, individuals with high FoMO tend to constantly monitor updates, fearing social exclusion or the loss of valuable opportunities. Building on prior research that suggests reducing social media use may alleviate anxiety and foster well-being, this study adopted a hermeneutic phenomenological approach to understand how students navigated periods of abstinence from social media and what positive or negative psychological outcomes emerged. Participants were 30 undergraduate students in Taiwan who self-identified as having FoMO tendencies based on four indicators: Frequent checking of social media multiple times a day and feeling anxious when unable to do so; using social media even in inappropriate situations; persistent worry about missing important information or being excluded; and a sense of losing benefits if they did not continuously track social media updates. Participants included 12 males and 18 females, with a mean age of 21.3 years. Recruitment occurred through social media announcements and university contacts. After an online briefing and informed consent process, students were randomly assigned to one of three conditions: (1) morning suspension, in which they refrained from social media between 06:00 and 12:00; (2) afternoon suspension, between 12:00 and 18:00; and (3) evening suspension, between 18:00 and 24:00. Each group comprised ten participants. Over a one-week period, each participant completed five semi-structured self-observation reports documenting their experiences, resulting in a total of 150 textual records. Research design and procedure followed the hermeneutic phenomenology tradition, emphasizing meaning-making and interpretation of lived experience. Data were collected through a structured observation diary designed by the research team. The diary asked students to describe four domains during each day’s abstinence period: (1) their positive and negative emotional states, particularly overlapping or contradictory feelings; (2) turning points in their thinking, such as reflections before, during, and after suspension; (3) concrete actions and behaviors engaged in during abstinence; and (4) perceived effects on positive living, including interpersonal relationships, social support, subjective well-being, life satisfaction, and positive emotions. The second part of the diary was open-ended, allowing students to freely elaborate on their personal experiences. Participants completed their records in stable environments, typically at the same time each evening, to ensure quality and consistency. The study was approved by an institutional review board to ensure participant welfare. Data analysis applied reflexive thematic analysis in six stages, following Braun and Clarke (2006, 2019). Three researchers, including the author and two experienced counseling psychologists, independently coded the data and held consensus meetings. The analysis process involved familiarization with the data, generating initial codes, searching for potential themes, reviewing and refining themes, defining and naming them, and finally writing the results. Reliability was enhanced through iterative team discussions and return to the textual context whenever interpretations diverged. The analytic focus was not on factual frequency but on capturing meaningful psychological patterns across time. Each participant’s five reports were categorized into early, middle, and late stages of the abstinence period, allowing for temporal analysis of psychological trajectories. Results revealed distinct psychological processes across the three suspension periods. For the morning suspension group, participants initially felt disoriented but soon reframed the abstinence as an opportunity to use time productively. Early experiences emphasized focus and efficiency, accompanied by relief from compulsive checking. In the middle phase, participants expressed novelty and curiosity toward offline life, noticing details of their surroundings, experimenting with routines such as cooking or exercising, and rediscovering hobbies. Later, they developed self-regulatory strategies, acknowledging both the benefits and risks of social media while cultivating a more balanced perspective. The overarching process was a shift from dependence toward mindful self-control, with enhanced feelings of accomplishment, structure, and meaning in daily life. The afternoon suspension group faced the most challenging time slot, as this was typically their peak period of social media use. Initially, participants experienced tension about delayed responses but also reported a sense of competence and self-challenge in resisting habitual checking. They sought replacement strategies such as reading news, doing housework, or engaging with peers in face-to-face settings. In the middle phase, participants reported anchoring themselves in the present moment and appreciating an authentic sense of time. They described improved productivity, reduced procrastination, and enhanced emotional stability. In the final phase, many students articulated the ability to savor everyday details, such as richer family interactions, awareness of simple pleasures, and appreciation of authentic conversations. This trajectory reflected a deepening sense of autonomy, competence, and relational presence, aligned with the satisfaction of psychological needs. In contrast, the evening suspension group reported the most difficulties. In the initial stage, participants described helplessness, fatigue, and reduced concentration. Many associated bedtime with scrolling through social media, and abstinence disrupted their nightly rituals. Although some engaged in alternative activities such as chatting with family or organizing their environment, they felt restless and impatient. During the middle stage, feelings of loneliness and impulsivity were salient. Participants admitted to“revenge use”after midnight, compensating for lost time with excessive late-night engagement. They described heightened urges, increased self-doubt, and concerns about whether they could sustain the suspension. In the final stage, participants reflected on contradictory emotions and a sense of overload. While acknowledging that social media connected them with peers, they also recognized the oppressive flood of information, constant comparison, and pressure. Unlike the morning and afternoon groups, the evening group struggled to translate suspension into positive living; instead, they oscillated between temporary relief and intensified dependence. When comparing across conditions, the findings indicate that the timing of suspension was crucial. Morning and afternoon abstinence generally fostered positive psychological outcomes: Early phases highlighted concentration and self-challenge, middle phases enabled exploration and mindfulness, and later phases cultivated reflection, regulation, and appreciation of life. These processes corresponded with the three psychological needs in self-determination theory: Competence, relatedness, and autonomy. By contrast, evening abstinence accentuated fatigue, frustration, and social disconnection, with limited progression toward constructive regulation. Nonetheless, even in the evening group, late-phase reflections revealed greater awareness of the paradoxical role of social media in providing connection while also generating stress. Conclusions suggest that structured and time-specific suspension of social media can produce meaningful psychological changes for students with high FoMO tendencies. Importantly, the beneficial effects were more evident when abstinence occurred in the morning or afternoon rather than in the evening. Morning and afternoon suspensions facilitated the transformation from compulsive checking to intentional living, enhancing self-discipline, curiosity about offline activities, and appreciation of real-world interactions. Participants reported improved productivity, better emotional regulation, and greater capacity to savor ordinary life experiences. These changes represent not only temporary relief but also opportunities for cultivating more sustainable self-regulation and positive well-being. Conversely, evening suspensions often intensified negative emotions, suggesting that interventions should avoid placing restrictions during times of fatigue and high social expectancy. The study contributes to understanding the psychological mechanisms underlying the transition from FoMO to what scholars describe as JoMO—the joy of missing out—by illustrating how abstinence can create space for reflection, rediscovery, and balance. The findings underscore that social media need not be demonized; rather, intentional pauses at suitable times of day can help young adults recalibrate their relationships with digital platforms. Practically, universities and mental health professionals may design interventions encouraging students to experiment with morning or afternoon digital breaks, combining structured abstinence with reflective writing to strengthen awareness and autonomy. At the theoretical level, the study confirms the relevance of self-determination theory in explaining FoMO processes, while also demonstrating the value of hermeneutic phenomenology in capturing nuanced experiential shifts. Limitations include the relatively small sample size, the reliance on self-report diaries rather than direct behavioral tracking, and the focus on a Taiwanese student population, which may affect cultural generalizability. Future research could expand to diverse cultural contexts, extend suspension periods beyond one week, or integrate quantitative measures of well-being to triangulate findings. Nevertheless, this study provides rich qualitative evidence that temporary social media suspension, when applied thoughtfully, can transform students’lived experience, support psychological needs, and foster more positive ways of engaging with life both online and offline. |
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