Push, Overload, and Exhaustion: Reactions of Chinese College Students to Information About International News Events on Social Media

This paper studies college students' perspectives on social media discourse surrounding major international events and the effects on their psychological state and information-seeking behaviors. Through empirical research, this paper describes and analyzes the influences of “information push” from important international affairs, its inconsistent information quality, and excessive peer-to-peer sharing on users' emotional exhaustion and resistance to future social media engagement. Frequent push notifications cause interruptions that engender exhaustion. This paper identifies the “neglect” and “shielding” behaviors that can then result. Building on stressors previously identified in information overload on social media, this research furthers understanding of their interconnections. This paper develops a model that links social overload and system features with exhaustion, psychological resistance, social media discontinuation, and burnout. Corresponding countermeasures are put forward with proposed utility for social media users and the platforms themselves.