(The) digital diet

Abstract

The constant connectivity and on-demand accessibility offered by smartphones have transformed our society into one that is “digitally overweight,” thereby creating epidemic social problems. Much research is available on physical weight-loss diets, but limited attention has been devoted to the effectiveness and consequences of digital regulatory programs. The current study examines the role of self-regulatory IT artifacts (i.e., app blockers that are designed to limit smartphone usage) in dissuading smartphone owners from excessively using their devices. It also delves into how engagement in digital diets affects usage patterns for smartphone apps. Using two novel datasets that comprise large-scale app-level smartphone tracking information on individuals, we provide rich insights into both quantitative (i.e., app usage duration) and qualitative (i.e., app category portfolio) changes as smartphone owners participate in digital diets. Our findings suggest that self-blocking effectively reduces smartphone utility and that such effect is moderated by individual discount rate. The efficacy of digital diets, however, is short lived, and schemes of this type eventually end in failure in the long run. Intriguingly, we detect shifts in the quality of app consumption after the implementation of digital diets, despite negligible changes in consumption quantity. Most notably, the use of hedonic game apps declines and thus paves the way for the adoption of more functional apps (i.e., job and education, lifestyle, e-commerce). The results also imply that although app blocking-based digital diets induce “healthier” app usage patterns, losing digital weight entails self-control costs that are often compensated with online shopping behaviors. Finally, we provide several valuable implications that are expected to facilitate the development of effective digital diet resolution plans that are grounded in self-regulatory IT artifacts.