Work Demand and Burnout Among Remote Workers: A Netnographic Analysis of Social Media Comments
Keywords:
work demand, burnout, remote work, netnographyAbstract
This qualitative study investigates the dynamics between work demand and job burnout among remote workers by analyzing digital interactions and user-generated comments on social media platforms. Grounded in the Job Demands–Resources (JD-R) theory, the research captures the authentic, uninhibited experiences of individuals navigating Work From Home (WFH) and Work From Anywhere (WFA) environments. Using a netnographic design, data were collected from 450 public comments across 12 viral posts discussing remote work on LinkedIn, X (formerly Twitter), and Instagram between January 2024 and June 2024. The qualitative data were analyzed using thematic analysis assisted by NVivo 14. The findings reveal three core themes of work demands driving burnout: (1) techno-stress and digital hyper-connectivity, (2) boundary blurring between personal and professional life leading to extended working hours, and (3) isolation and lack of social support. These demands primarily manifested as emotional exhaustion and depersonalization. The study underscores the critical need for organizational policies that enforce digital disconnection and structured workload boundaries to preserve remote employee well-being.
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