Push and mooring factors to explain the discontinuance of social networks

Abstract

Facebook has emerged as the most popular online social network. However, recently, there has been a decline in usage time, and many users have abandoned it. The literature suggests that the exhaustion produced by users' excessive demands from their social network pushes them to discontinue their usage. On the other hand, the literature recognizes that an individual's social capital can keep them hooked on the social network to take advantage of the benefits of that capital. However, this last aspect has not been conceptually incorporated or empirically evaluated in the explanation of discontinuance. On that basis, this study aims to introduce and assess empirically the theory of social capital as a complementary approach to explain this phenomenon. The data -369 Facebook users- was analyzed using the partial least squares (PLS) technique. The results support the empirical model. This study integrates the Stressor-Stress-Outcome framework with two elements of Social Capital Theory to provide a complete perspective on the discontinuance phenomenon.