What Determines Digital Disconnection on Wechat? Insights from Uses and Gratifications, Online Vigilance, and the Theory of Planned Behavior

Abstract

The pervasive influence of the permanently online and permanently connected (POPC) culture in the digital age underscores the need to examine the factors that drive social media users to disconnect. While prior research has explored digital disconnection strategies and their antecedents, particularly in the context of ubiquitous social media platforms, limited studies have investigated how disconnection motivations translate into actual disconnection behaviors within a specific social media context. Drawing on the uses and gratifications theory (UGT), online vigilance (OV), and the theory of planned behavior (TPB), this study examines the relationships between disconnection motivations, OV, and disconnection behaviors among WeChat users. Data were collected from 348 valid respondents and analyzed using structural equation modeling to test the proposed relationships. The results indicate that users adopt do-not-disturb (DND) disconnection more frequently than restrictive disconnection. Disconnection intention is positively associated with both restrictive and DND disconnection. Perceived behavioral control (PBC), subjective norms, and attitudes positively predict disconnection intention. Furthermore, the three disconnection motivations (i.e., avoiding distractions, escaping from WeChat, and reducing dependence) are positively related to PBC and attitudes. However, salience, reactibility, and monitoring do not significantly predict PBC or attitudes. Salience and reactibility, however, are positively associated with subjective norms. The findings contribute to a theoretical understanding of the determinants of WeChat disconnection by integrating multiple theoretical perspectives. This study also offers practical insights for the development of disconnection-oriented features.

Keywords: Restrictive disconnectionl, Do-not-disturb disconnection, Motivations, Wechat, Online vigilance