Jesus, Frederico Miguel Campos Cruz Ribeiro deShkel, Alena Rouslanovna2022-11-212022-11-212022-10-28http://hdl.handle.net/10362/145674Dissertation presented as the partial requirement for obtaining a Master's degree in Information Management, specialization in Knowledge Management and Business IntelligenceSocial media platforms are very used nowadays in developed countries. Since lockdown and social distancing took place due to COVID-19, its importance has soared. This is understandable, as people try other ways of communicating when deprived of their primary mode of communication. This study aims to investigate how the state of social distancing and lockdown affects people's use of these platforms. Even though social media is a widely researched topic, few studies have been conducted in these circumstances, hence the importance of the study. The current study was designed to test the Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology (UTAUT2). In addition, it was hypothesized that COVID-19-induced isolation would cause people to use social media excessively, leading to social media fatigue. The moderation effect of loneliness on the relationship between social media use and social media fatigue was also investigated. A survey was conducted to test our theory. Structural Equation Modelling (SEM) was used to analyze the outcome. The results revealed that both social media use and loneliness are significant causes of social media fatigue among isolated individuals due to the COVID-19 pandemic.engSocial media,social media use,loneliness,unified theory of acceptance and use of technology (UTAUT2),social media fatiguemaster thesis203236610