Moderating effects of gender and passive Facebook use on the relationship between social interaction anxiety and preference for online social interaction

Abstract

ABSTRACT In recent years, internet use for online social interaction has dramatically increased among the students. Even though prior studies had confirmed that social interaction anxiety (SIA) can develop one’s preference for online social interaction (POSI) over face-to-face communication, whether the association between SIA and POSI varies with one’s gender and levels of passive Facebook use (PFU) are still unknown. Therefore, to address this knowledge gap, the present study examined the moderating effects of gender and PFU on the association between SIA and POSI among the university students of Bangladesh. Participants were 544 university students (55.9% male and 44.1% female). The study assessed POSI, SIA, PFU, and demographic characteristics of the participants employing cross-sectional study design. The hierarchical regression analysis suggested moderating effects of gender and PFU existed on the association between SIA and POSI. The study argued that male university students with high SIA prefer higher online social interaction than females. This research further argued that the relationship between SIA and POSI was stronger for the students with high passive Facebook use than the students with low passive Facebook use. Since POSI is one of the prime components of problematic internet use (PIU), which can adversely affect individuals’ psychological and physical wellbeing; hence, these results intensify the importance of early and effective interventions for the Bangladeshi university students who are at risk of developing PIU.