Communications in Humanities Research ISSN: 2753-7072
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Research Article

The Mechanism of the Effect of Digital Hoarding Behaviors in Social Media Environment on Psychological Resource Depletion

Ku'er ChenCommunication University of China Zidan WangUniversity of Sanya Shenwei ZhuThe University of Sydney*

* Corresponding author: [email protected]

Abstract

In the digital age where social media is deeply integrated, the widespread digital hoarding behavior among users (such as unrestrained preservation of digital content) can contribute to the depletion of psychological resources (including cognitive distraction and emotional exhaustion) due to the consumption of cognitive resources and the accumulation of emotional stress, making it a key issue in the research of digital mental health. Based on the resource conservation theory, this study constructs a mediating model of "digital hoarding -information overload-psychological resource depletion", introduces psychological resilience as a moderating variable, and verifies the variable relationships through regression analysis to reveal the mechanism by which digital hoarding affects psychological resource depletion. The research findings indicate that digital hoarding significantly and positively predicts psychological resource depletion (B = 0.064, p < 0.01), directly intensifying psychological load; information overload plays a mediating role between the two (B = 0.064, p < 0.01), meaning that digital hoarding indirectly leads to psychological exhaustion by triggering information overload; the moderating effect of psychological resilience is not significant (interaction term p > 0.05), and it fails to effectively buffer the negative impact of digital hoarding. By integrating multidisciplinary theories and empirical methodologies, this study not only addresses the theoretical gap in the "behavior-cognition-psychology" linkage mechanism but also provides users with digital behavior management strategies (such as optimizing information filtering and targeted enhancement of psychological resilience), thereby alleviating psychological stress induced by digital hoarding. This research holds significant practical value for fostering sustainable digital lifestyles.

Keywords: digital hoarding behavior; psychological resource depletion; information overload; psychological resilience; social media.
Published: July 20, 2025
DOI: 10.54254/2753-7064/2025.LC25299
Volume: CHR Vol.72
pp. 124-136
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