Överflöd av information i vardagen : En studie om hur användare av sociala medier påverkas av och hanterar informationsstress

Sammanfattning: We live in an increasingly digitised world in which the use of social media has grown rapidly. By 2016, 94% of all in between the ages of 15-24 and 84% of all in between the ages of 25-44 used social media daily in Sweden (Nordicom, 2017). This study seeks to problematise the constant connection to social media and investigate how the connection to social media affect stress levels in young adult’s daily lives and how they deal with the stress. Furthermore, the purpose is to contribute empirically to the impact digitisation has on society. To find out, we aim to answer the following two research questions: Are young adult social media users experiencing information stress and are there any potential causes? Does young adult, who frequently use social media, have any possible strategies for managing information stress? Theories used in this essay are self-determining theory, Fear of missing out (FoMO) and Situational non-use theory. The essay is a quantitative deductive study that collected empirical data through a web based survey. In order to measure information stress, an index has been created consisting of three variables: Feeling unable to handle the information flow, fear of missing updates and distraction in everyday life. In short, the majority of the participants in the survey experienced what we consider to be a high form of information stress in their daily lives. The increased digitisation and the ability to stay connected and contactable via mobile devices, according to the study, affect the high end users of social media so that they feel increased stress and discomfort in their everyday life.