Research on employees' digital stressors
| Author(s) . | Theory . | Sample . | Cross-cultural . | Stressors . | Outcomes . | Findings . | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| . | . | . | . | SNSA . | DS . | . | . |
| Fischer et al. (2021) | – | N = 1,998 employees (U.S.) | ✗ | ✗ | ✓ | Emotional exhaustion, innovation climate, job and user satisfaction | DS is positively related to emotional exhaustion and negatively related to innovation climate, job satisfaction and user satisfaction |
| Labban and Bizzi (2022) | Distraction-Conflict theory | N = 286 employees (U.S.) | ✗ | ✓ | ✗ | Happiness, attentiveness, fatigue, guilt, networking behaviors, counterproductive work behaviors | Social media use before work is linked to happiness and attentiveness, which in turn are positively related to networking behaviors. Social media use during work is associated with higher fatigue and guilt, which are in turn related to counterproductive work behaviors |
| Liu et al. (2022) | Computer-mediated communication interactivity theory | N = 556 employees (China) | ✗ | ✓ | ✗ | Communication quality, work interruptions, job performance | Social media interactivity is associated with higher communication quality, which is positively related to job performance; however, it is simultaneously associated with more work interruptions that are negatively related to deteriorate job performance. A high dependency on social media amplifies both the positive and negative association with job performance |
| Moqbel and Kock (2018) | Social cognitive theory | N = 276 English-speaking employees (87% from the U.S.) | ✗ | ✓ | ✗ | Task distraction, positive emotions, work performance, health | Greater SNSA is linked to higher task distraction and lower positive emotions. In turn, task distraction is linked to lower work performance, while higher positive emotions are associated with both work performance and health |
| Wang et al. (2023) | Job Demands-Resources | N = 235 employees (China) | ✗ | ✗ | ✓ | Work exhaustion, workplace knowledge diversity, employee well-being | Work exhaustion mediated the relationship between technology-related stress and employee well-being, knowledge diversity attenuated this indirect effect |
| Yu et al. (2023) | Stressor-strain-outcomes framework | N = 422 employees (China) | ✗ | ✓ | ✗ | Information overload, communication overload, social overload, emotional exhausting, job performance | Excessive use of social media at work is associated with higher information, communication, and social overload. Information and communication overload are positively related to emotional exhaustion. Additionally, information and social overload are negatively related to job performance |
| Yuan et al. (2025) | Transactional Theory of Stress | Meta-Analysis with 67 studies, 63,100 employees | ✗ | ✗ | ✓ | Psychological strain, job performance | All dimensions of technology-related stress (overload, invasion, complexity, insecurity, and uncertainty) are positively related to strain. Job performance is negatively associated with all dimensions except uncertainty |
| Zivnuska et al. (2019) | Conservation of Resources | N = 326 employees (U.S.) | ✗ | ✓ | ✗ | Work-family balance, job burnout, work performance | SNSA is negatively related to work-family balance, while social media reactions are positively related to job burnout. Work-family balance is positively associated with work performance, whereas job burnout is linked to negative outcomes |
| This Study | Conservation of Resources | N = 735 employees (448 Germans and 287 Japanese) | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | Psychological strain, work performance, life satisfaction | Both SNSA and DS are positively related to employee strain, which in turn is negatively related to work performance and life satisfaction; performance is also positively linked to life satisfaction. Findings are consistent across cultures, with the negative relationship between strain and work performance being stronger in Japan than in Germany |
| Author(s) . | Theory . | Sample . | Cross-cultural . | Stressors . | Outcomes . | Findings . | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| . | . | . | . | SNSA . | DS . | . | . |
| Fischer et al. (2021) | – | N = 1,998 employees (U.S.) | ✗ | ✗ | ✓ | Emotional exhaustion, innovation climate, job and user satisfaction | DS is positively related to emotional exhaustion and negatively related to innovation climate, job satisfaction and user satisfaction |
| Labban and Bizzi (2022) | Distraction-Conflict theory | N = 286 employees (U.S.) | ✗ | ✓ | ✗ | Happiness, attentiveness, fatigue, guilt, networking behaviors, counterproductive work behaviors | Social media use before work is linked to happiness and attentiveness, which in turn are positively related to networking behaviors. Social media use during work is associated with higher fatigue and guilt, which are in turn related to counterproductive work behaviors |
| Liu et al. (2022) | Computer-mediated communication interactivity theory | N = 556 employees (China) | ✗ | ✓ | ✗ | Communication quality, work interruptions, job performance | Social media interactivity is associated with higher communication quality, which is positively related to job performance; however, it is simultaneously associated with more work interruptions that are negatively related to deteriorate job performance. A high dependency on social media amplifies both the positive and negative association with job performance |
| Moqbel and Kock (2018) | Social cognitive theory | N = 276 English-speaking employees (87% from the U.S.) | ✗ | ✓ | ✗ | Task distraction, positive emotions, work performance, health | Greater SNSA is linked to higher task distraction and lower positive emotions. In turn, task distraction is linked to lower work performance, while higher positive emotions are associated with both work performance and health |
| Wang et al. (2023) | Job Demands-Resources | N = 235 employees (China) | ✗ | ✗ | ✓ | Work exhaustion, workplace knowledge diversity, employee well-being | Work exhaustion mediated the relationship between technology-related stress and employee well-being, knowledge diversity attenuated this indirect effect |
| Yu et al. (2023) | Stressor-strain-outcomes framework | N = 422 employees (China) | ✗ | ✓ | ✗ | Information overload, communication overload, social overload, emotional exhausting, job performance | Excessive use of social media at work is associated with higher information, communication, and social overload. Information and communication overload are positively related to emotional exhaustion. Additionally, information and social overload are negatively related to job performance |
| Yuan et al. (2025) | Transactional Theory of Stress | Meta-Analysis with 67 studies, 63,100 employees | ✗ | ✗ | ✓ | Psychological strain, job performance | All dimensions of technology-related stress (overload, invasion, complexity, insecurity, and uncertainty) are positively related to strain. Job performance is negatively associated with all dimensions except uncertainty |
| Zivnuska et al. (2019) | Conservation of Resources | N = 326 employees (U.S.) | ✗ | ✓ | ✗ | Work-family balance, job burnout, work performance | SNSA is negatively related to work-family balance, while social media reactions are positively related to job burnout. Work-family balance is positively associated with work performance, whereas job burnout is linked to negative outcomes |
| This Study | Conservation of Resources | N = 735 employees (448 Germans and 287 Japanese) | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | Psychological strain, work performance, life satisfaction | Both SNSA and DS are positively related to employee strain, which in turn is negatively related to work performance and life satisfaction; performance is also positively linked to life satisfaction. Findings are consistent across cultures, with the negative relationship between strain and work performance being stronger in Japan than in Germany |
Note(s): SNSA = social networking site addiction, DS = digital stress