Exploring the Relationship Between Social Media, Attention, and Distractibility: A Trait-and State-Level Analysis

This survey asked about social media use within the past 30 minutes, as well as how distracted and attentive participants felt during that time. Initial Multilevel Modelling identified state-level relationships, as momentary social media use predicted increased internal and external distractibility; and decreased attention. However, Following the inclusion of trait-level variables, social media use was no longer a significant predictor of distractibility; however, trait-level internal distractibility and attention was.

These findings highlight the need for further research which applies both longitudinal and qualitative methodologies. Practical implications include decreasing social media use when needing to remain goal-oriented; increasing wellbeing and awareness around social media impacts; and social media companies designing more ethical platforms.</strong></p>