Beyond exposure: Subjective appraisal of evening social media use

Research on evening social media use and sleep has yielded inconsistent findings, partly because exposure-based measures overlook how such use is experienced in context. To address this issue, this study examines how people make sense of their evening social media use across different life stages. Using a one-week diary combined with semi-structured interviews (N = 56; ages 14–87), data were analyzed through qualitative content analysis. Evening social media use emerged as a distinct practice during the transition between day and night, with outcomes shaped less by duration or timing than by users’ situational appraisals and emotional goals. Ambivalence was common: Routines could soothe and connect—yet also evoke obligation, time loss, or guilt—often reflecting cultural norms surrounding healthy use. Patterns varied across life stages, though age itself did not determine experience. The findings highlight evening media use as a contextual and interpretive process grounded in everyday meaning-making.