Indeed, outcomes of SNS use are tightly coupled with passive following of information others share on the platform – a behavior also synonymously referred to as“content consumption” ; “social searching” and “social browsing”. Passive following takes place when users browse their News Feed, click on ‘stories’, follow communication of their friends, or proactively examine profiles of others. State-ofthe-art
research recognizes the importance of studying consequences of passive consumption of information since it represents the dominant activity on SNSs.Apparently, widespread engagement in this activity signals a positive affect users experience in the process of social browsing. Following details of others’ livesmay also have positive cognitive effects since it helps to reduce uncertainty, thereby providing basis for social trust, civic engagement and political participation. Koroleva et al. show that by passively following others on FB, users broaden their horizons and build a sense of connectedness. This helps them realize an array of tangible networking benefits. On the other hand, a growing body of research warns against this one-sided positive view. Indeed, most recent evidence suggests that continuous
engagement in passive following may lead to feelings of exhaustion, annoyance, irritability and overload, . In a seminal study, Burke et al. uncover a significant link between social content consumption and perceptions of loneliness.Altogether, these findings are alarming, since they signal a potential of SNSs to intervene with users’ well-being and life satisfaction and, over long-term, impact platform
sustainability. Nonetheless, little research exists uncovering the roots of the observed dynamics