Autonomous Regulation of Social Media Use: Implications for Self-control, Well-Being, and UX

Much work in HCI has investigated strategies for supporting au-tonomous self-regulation in social media use (SMU): helping usersto control their time online and ensure it serves personally valuedoutcomes. However, results suggest that the effectiveness and ac-ceptability of these strategies may vary based on individual needs.Recent work has attributed this variation to motivational factors,though we currently lack data to understand how these factorsinfluence self-regulation, user experience and well-being. We drawon Self-Determination Theory to analyse autonomous and non-autonomous patterns of motivation in 521 users of social media.Using latent profile analysis, we identify 4 “motivational profiles”associated with significant differences in need satisfaction, affect,and compulsive engagement. Our results clarify distinct aspectsof autonomy in SMU and identify opportunities to target and per-sonalise design interventions; they suggest autonomous regulationcan be associated with better experience and well-being, thoughnot necessarily less time online.