Social networking use and RescueTime

TLDR

The rapid growth of social networking sites has increased users’ stress over their personal usage, yet prior research shows that daily retrospective estimates combined with RescueTime improve accuracy and reduce perceived stress. The study sought to examine whether prospective estimations of SNS use would affect stress levels and perceived time management. Low engagement with RescueTime prevented any improvement in estimation accuracy or stress reduction, revealing large individual differences and the need for external motivation to use personal informatics.

Abstract

The dramatic rise in the use of social network sites (SNS) has resulted in a number of users feeling stressed about the extent of their personal use. Previous work has established that daily retrospective estimations of SNS use and access to RescueTime not only improve accuracy of estimations but also reduce perceived stress. The present study aimed to extend this by also exploring the influence of prospective estimations on stress and perceived time management. However, the study was thwarted by incredibly low engagement with RescueTime and consequently, no improvement in estimation accuracy and no reduction in stress. This indicates substantial individual differences in engagement and a requirement for external sources of motivation for using personal informatics, beyond the tasks of the study.