Patrick Skeba, Devansh Saxena, Shion Guha, and Eric P. S. Baumer. (2021). Who Has a Choice?: Survey-Based Predictors of Volitionality in Facebook Use and Non-use. Proceedings of the ACM on Human-Computer Interaction 5, GROUP: 223:1-223:25.
Abstract
This paper examines volitionality of Facebook usage, that is, which individuals feel they have a choice about whether or not to use the site. It analyzes data from two large surveys, conducted three years apart. Across the two surveys, a variety of factors impacted whether or not respondents saw their Facebook usage as a matter of their own choice, such as engaging in non-use behaviors, measures of Facebook addiction, a sense of their own agency, and, across both studies, level of education. These results expand on prior literature around technology use and non-use, especially in terms of which populations may feel obligated to use, or be unwillingly prevented from using, social media such as Facebook. Furthermore, they provide potential implications both for future work and for technology policy.