Why do pre-service teachers quit Facebook? An investigation on 'quitters forever' and 'quitters for a while'

Recent studies on online social networking have revealed many user characteristics while quitters have been addressed rarely. The current study investigated the reasons of quitting Facebook among 231 pre-service teachers. First, Facebook Quitting Questionnaire was created through a comprehensive literature review and expert opinions. The measure was validated through a principal components analysis, which explained 52.5% of the variance with 17 items and four components: External factors, self-concealing, mechanics and perceived usefulness. Then, temporary and permanent quitters were compared, which revealed that temporary quitters regarded FB as more useful in comparison to permanent quitters. Finally, follow-up interviews with 11 participants were conducted to probe in-depth. Interviews revealed similar factors underlying the quitting behavior. Confidence building among couples was a novel but significant predictor of quitting. On the other hand, participants felt obliged to have a Facebook account since either instructional Facebook use by the faculty or peer pressure urged them. Implications for further research were discussed accordingly.