# Digital addiction: Why you can’t quit Facebook for good (HT Tech) > Researchers explored the factors preventing users from logging off of Facebook for good. Using survey data provided by 99daysoffreedom.com -- an online campaign that encouraged participants to log off Facebook for 99 days -- researchers at Cornell University honed in on those who made the pledge but ultimately could not resist the allure of Facebook’s social network. # Digital addiction: Why you can’t quit Facebook for good ## Researchers explored the factors preventing users from logging off of Facebook for good. Using survey data provided by 99daysoffreedom.com -- an online campaign that encouraged participants to log off Facebook for 99 days -- researchers at Cornell University honed in on those who made the pledge but ultimately could not resist the allure of Facebook’s social network. Dec 15 2015, 10:40 IST ![Follow on Facebook](https://images.hindustantimes.com/tech/static/revamp/images/png/follow-us-facebook.png) ![Follow on Facebook](https://images.hindustantimes.com/tech/static/revamp/images/png/follow-us-facebook-hover.png) ![Share](https://images.hindustantimes.com/tech/static/revamp/images/png/Share.png) ![Share](https://images.hindustantimes.com/tech/static/revamp/images/png/Shareclicked.png) ![Share on WhatsApp](https://images.hindustantimes.com/tech/static/revamp/images/png/whatsapp.png) ![Share on WhatsApp](https://images.hindustantimes.com/tech/static/revamp/images/png/whatsapp-hover.png) ![Share on Twitter](https://images.hindustantimes.com/tech/static/revamp/images/png/twitter.png) ![Share on Twitter](https://images.hindustantimes.com/tech/static/revamp/images/png/twitter-hover.png) ![Share on Facebook](https://images.hindustantimes.com/tech/static/revamp/images/png/facebook.png) ![Share on Facebook](https://images.hindustantimes.com/tech/static/revamp/images/png/facebook-hover.png) ![Bookmark](https://images.hindustantimes.com/tech/static/revamp/images/png/Bookmark.png) ![Bookmarked](https://images.hindustantimes.com/tech/static/revamp/images/png/Bookmarked.png) ![image caption](https://images.hindustantimes.com/tech/rf/image_size_800x600/HT/p2/2015/12/14/Pictures/_c1515fb6-a225-11e5-8ae7-bdc8d919d82a.jpg) Researchers explored the factors preventing users from logging off Facebook for good using survey data provided by 99daysoffreedom.com -- an online campaign that encouraged participants to log off Facebook for 99 days. (Pixabay) ![Author Photo](https://images.hindustantimes.com/tech/static/revamp/images/png/HTTech-new-circle-logo.png) ### By PTI Deactivated your Facebook account but end up typing the letter "f" as soon as you open an internet browser? Researchers explored the factors preventing users from logging off of Facebook for good. Using survey data provided by 99daysoffreedom.com -- an online campaign that encouraged participants to log off Facebook for 99 days -- researchers at Cornell University honed in on those who made the pledge but ultimately could not resist the allure of the social network that Facebook is. Researchers found four main factors that led users to re-activate their Facebook accounts even though they pledged not to. Also read click here. The first reason is perceived addiction -- those who feel that Facebook is addictive or habitual are more likely to return, according to the group's research. One participant described this habitual aspect by saying, "In the first 10 days, whenever I opened up an internet browser, my fingers would automatically go to 'f'." Another reason is privacy and surveillance -- users who feel their Facebook activity is being monitored are less likely to revert, while those using Facebook largely to manage how other people think of them are more likely to log back in. The third reason is subjective mood -- users in a good mood are less likely to renege on their pledge to stay off Facebook. The fourth reason is other social media -- the researchers found that Facebook users are less likely to log back in if they had other social media outlets -- like Twitter, for instance. Those who reflected on the appropriate role for technology in their social lives are more likely to revert. In many of these cases, people returned to Facebook but altered their use, for example, uninstalling the app from their phones, reducing their number of friends or limiting the amount of time spent on the platform. The team's findings were drawn from more than 5,000 surveys issued to participants by Just, the Dutch creative agency that founded the 99 Days of Freedom project. These surveys were sent to project participants on days 33, 66 and 99 and were intended to gauge each user's mood throughout the Facebook detox. "Facebook serves numerous important social functions, in some cases providing the only means for certain groups to keep in touch. These results highlight the complexities involved in people's ongoing decisions about how to use, or not use, social media," said Eric Baumer from Cornell University. People who leave social media and then return, what researchers term "social media reversion," provide the opportunity to understand better what is at stake when people use -- or do not use -- sites like Facebook. The findings were published in the journal Social Media + Society. Catch all the Latest Tech News, Mobile News, Laptop News, Gaming news, Wearables News , How To News, also keep up with us on Whatsapp channel,Twitter, Facebook, Google News, and Instagram. 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