Exploring the Lived Experience of Digital Fatigue in Health Communication Among Social Media Users
Keywords:
Digital Fatigue, Phenomenology, Health Communication, Digital Media, Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis, User ExperienceAbstract
Digital communication has reshaped how individuals encounter and internalize health information, creating both opportunities and psychological challenges in public engagement. Within this evolving landscape, digital health communication has become central to health promotion but has also introduced phenomena such as digital fatigue a state of cognitive and emotional exhaustion caused by repetitive exposure to persuasive digital messages. However, existing scholarship has not clearly explained how digital fatigue is experienced subjectively or what specific meanings individuals attach to these feelings within everyday exposure to online health campaigns, leaving a distinct empirical and conceptual gap. To address this gap, this study employs an Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA) focusing on adult social media users aged 19–35 who have prior exposure to digital health campaigns. Semi-structured interviews were conducted online to allow participants to reflect on their real-time digital interactions and emotional responses. Through semi-structured interviews with twelve participants, data were analyzed thematically to uncover patterns of meaning underlying digital fatigue. The analysis revealed five core experiential themes: emotional exhaustion from message overexposure, the paradox of awareness and avoidance, perceived algorithmic intrusion, the loss of authenticity in influencer-led health campaigns, and coping strategies for digital balance. Collectively, these findings illustrate that digital fatigue is not merely a reaction to information overload but a deeper struggle for autonomy, authenticity, and emotional well-being in a technology-saturated environment. This study contributes to communication scholarship by advancing a phenomenological understanding of how individuals negotiate meaning within digital health contexts, while offering actionable insights for designing more empathetic and human-centered digital public health strategies.
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