Exploring the correlates of Facebook addiction and its impact on academic performance among youths of Tripura

Abstract

Growing incidences of Facebook addiction or problematic Facebook use are fast becoming a matter of concern in the Western countries. The popularity of social networking sites is increasing in India as well, circumventing the barriers of age, gender, and place of residence. The rapid dispersal of Facebook is of particular concern as it has given rise to a new phenomenon termed as Facebook addiction, particularly among the students and youths. Little academic research has been done so far in a far-flung State in the North Eastern part of India. This paper attempts to fill this gap by studying Facebook Addiction among 3356 youth participants from the state of Tripura. Male participants were found to be significantly more at risk for Facebook addiction, as compared to the females. Utilizing the logistic regression model, this study could also bring into light the predictors and correlates of Facebook addiction which include the location of residence, educational qualification of parents, and the overall purpose of internet usage, such as online shopping, cloud storage, attending online classes and others. Dysfunctional or uncontrolled Facebook usage has also been found to be linked with adverse interference in the academic performance of the participants.