Social Networking Sites Addiction Research Articles

The Predictive Ability of addiction to Social Networking sites on Self-esteem and Loneliness among Second-year Secondary School Students

The study aimed to identify the predictive ability of addiction to social networking sites on self-esteem and loneliness among a sample of secondary school students. The study sample consisted of 627 male and female students in the second year of secondary education from eight secondary schools. Three scales for measuring social networking addiction, self-esteem and loneliness were used. The results showed that the subscales of the social networking sites addiction that positively predicted self-esteem were conflict and mood modification and negatively predicted tolerance, which negatively predicted loneliness are withdrawal and conflict, and positively predicted tolerance.

Psychopathological symptoms and social networking sites addiction in Poland and Germany: The role of fear of missing out and preference for online social interaction

Psychopathological symptoms, especially depression and anxiety, can contribute to the development of addictive tendencies offline and online. The present cross-national study aims to verify whether Fear of Missing Out (FoMO) and Preference for Online Social Interactions (POSI) could explain the relationship between psychopathological symptoms (i.e., depression and anxiety symptoms) and Social Networking Sites (SNS) addiction. We tested our hypothesis in two samples from Poland (N = 1163) and Germany (N = 781) using self-report measures of psychopathological symptoms, FoMO, POSI, and SNS addiction. In both countries, we found the same result pattern. Depression and anxiety symptoms were positively related to SNS addiction. Moreover, FoMO and POSI partially mediated the relationship between psychopathological symptoms and addictive SNS use. Notably, the relationship between psychopathological symptoms is significantly more robust via FoMO as it is an essential predictor of SNS addiction in both countries. Our findings show that ineffective emotional regulation, as well as maladaptive thoughts and beliefs about one's Internet use among persons with psychopathological symptoms, might increase the risk for SNS addiction.

IJCM_184A: A Study on Impact of Addiction to Social Networking Sites on Psychological Well Being of Undergraduate Medical Students of GMC, Siddipet

Background: India is the third largest country to use social networking sites. A social networking site is a website where a user can create a profile and build a personal network that connects him/her to other users. Social networking sites are increasingly affecting the psychological health of teenagers and young adults and so found that addiction to online social networking sites has several psychiatric disorders, including depressive symptoms, anxiety, and low self-esteem. Objectives: To find out the addiction to social networking sites and assess the psychological well-being of undergraduate medical students of GMC, Siddipet Methodology: A cross-sectional study is being conducted in the Government medical college, Siddipet for two months among undergraduate medical students by universal sampling. The self-administered, pre-validated questionnaire, using Ryff’s scale and Bergan scale, for psychological well- being and social networking site addiction respectively. Descriptive and inferential statistics were done in SPSS using appropriate statistical analysis. Results: A total of 806 students of various years of MBBS participated in the study, Males were 301 and females were 505 Among them, out of the total 806 students studied, the psychological well-being was found to be low in 6(0.74%) and moderate in 597(74.07%). In the present study, out of the total 806 medical students studied, 148(18.36%) were found to have social networking site addiction, out of which males were 52(35.13%) and females were 96(64.86%). Out of 148 medical students who were found to have social networking site addiction, psychological well-being was found to be low in 4(2.70%) and moderate in 111(75%) and the p value was found to be statistically significant at 0.007. When the psychological well-being was compared in students between those who had social networking site addiction and those who didn’t had social networking site addiction, psychological well-being was comparatively less (0.74% vs 2.70% in Low psychological well-being and (75% vs 74.07%) and the difference was found to be statistically significant (p value = 0.007). Conclusion: A significant percentage of medical students (18.36%) were found to have addiction to social networking sites in our study because of the widespread availability of gadgets. Psychological well-being was found to be comparatively less in students who had social networking site addiction compared to those who didn’t had the addiction.

IJCM_114A: Perception Regarding Utility Of Social Networking Sites On Academic Activities Among Undergraduate Students And Teaching Faculties Of A Medical College In Mangalore.

Background: The integration of social networking sites (SNS) into academic activities has become increasingly prevalent, yet there is a need to understand its impact and perceptions among undergraduate students and teaching faculty. This study aimed to explore the pattern of SNS usage for academic purposes and assess perceptions regarding its benefits and drawbacks at Kasturba Medical College, Mangalore. Methodology: A cross-sectional descriptive study was conducted among undergraduate students and teaching faculty, utilizing a self- administered semi-structured questionnaire. Convenience sampling was employed, with data collected over a 15-day period. Statistical analysis was performed using SPSS version 11.5, with independent t-tests applied to compare perceptions between students and faculty. Results: Out of 308 participants, nearly half reported using SNS for academic purposes, with Facebook being the most preferred platform. While perceived benefits included improved communication and easier access to learning resources, concerns were raised regarding productivity loss and SNS addiction. Recommendations for promoting SNS usage in academia were also identified. Conclusion: The study highlights the significant role of SNS in academic communication and collaboration, while emphasizing the need for strategies to address associated challenges such as productivity impact and addiction. By leveraging the benefits of SNS while mitigating drawbacks, educational institutions can harness its potential to enhance teaching, learning, and research endeavors.

청소년의 우정 기반 자기가치감과 SNS중독경향성 간의 관계에서 소외에 대한 두려움 및 SNS자기표현의 매개효과

Objective: The study examined the mediating and double mediating effects of fear of missing out and social networking sites (SNS) self-expression (positive self-expression and honest self-expression) on the relationship between adolescents’ friendship contingent self-esteem and SNS addiction tendency.
 Methods: The participants in this study were a total of 413 students (207 male and 206 female) in the first to third years of middle school. Each variable was self-reported using instruments measuring friendship contingent self-esteem, fear of missing out, SNS self-expression, and SNS addiction tendency. For data analysis, frequency analysis, Frequency, Cronbach’s α reliability, and Pearson correlation analyses were performed using the SPSS Statistics 27.0 program, and the mediating effect and the double mediating effect were confirmed using the PROCESS macro model 6 of the SPSS PROCESS macro 4.2 program. Results: Adolescents’ SNS addiction tendencies were positively correlated with friendship contingent self-esteem, fear of missing out and positive self-expression, and honest self-expression. Second, in the relationship between adolescents’ friendship contingent self-esteem and SNS addiction tendency, mediating and double mediating effects of fear of missing out and positive self-expression were found. Third, in the relationship between friendship contingent self-esteem and SNS addiction tendencies, the mediating effect of honest self-expression and the double mediating effect of fear of missing out and honest self-expression were not significant.
 Conclusions: This study emphasizes that adolescents with SNS addiction tendencies due to high friendship contingent self-esteem should be encouraged to reduce their fear of missing out and positive self-expression.

Internet Addiction and Psychological Distress: Can Social Networking Site Addiction Affect Body Uneasiness Across Gender? A Mediation Model.

The Internet, with its unlimited information, revolutionary communication capabilities, and innovative potential to expand knowledge, is ubiquitous throughout the world, but it also has significant implications for users' mental health. Given the not yet clearly defined and distinguishable nosographic categories of online addiction and the resulting difficulties in describing the impact on users' mental health, the present cross-sectional study aimed to gain new insights into the relationship between Internet addiction (especially social networking site [SNS] addiction), psychological distress, and physical discomfort, as well as gender differences in impact among users. A sample of 583 Italian speakers (50.8% males; 48.7% females) with a mean age of 30.96 (SD = 12.12) completed an online survey in July 2021. A set of psychometric self-report instruments was administered to assess the study variables. Mediation analyses were performed for both the whole sample and across genders. The study found that men exhibited higher levels of Internet addiction and craving than women, but no differences were found for SNS addiction. Furthermore, indicators of psychological distress (i.e., anxiety, depression, stress, loneliness, insomnia, and self-esteem) mediated the association between SNS addiction and body uneasiness, with slight differences across genders. This paper contributes to the existing literature on online addictive behaviors by also highlighting gender differences. The findings underscore the need for educational experiences that can prevent problematic use of the Internet and SNSs.

The Relationship Between Anxious Attachment and Social Networking Site Addiction in Adolescents: The Mediating Role of Interpersonal Cognitive Distortions, Self-Esteem, and the Desire to Be Liked

The Relationship Between Anxious Attachment and Social Networking Site Addiction in Adolescents: The Mediating Role of Interpersonal Cognitive Distortions, Self-Esteem, and the Desire to Be Liked

Smartphone and social network addiction in early adolescents: The role of self-regulatory self-efficacy in a pilot school-based intervention.

Youths' online problematic behaviors, such as smartphone or social network sites (SNS) addiction, gained increasing attention nowadays, due to their impact on concurrent and later adjustment, such as emotional and/or behavioral problems, academic impairments, or relational issues. This study aims to evaluate the effectiveness of a pilot school-based intervention to contrast online addictive behaviors while fostering adolescents' self-regulative abilities. The intervention started in January 2022 in an Italian junior high school located in Rome, and consisted of four meetings with students. A total sample of 462 15-year-old adolescents (Mage = 15.2; SD = 0.50; 41% females; Ncontrol = 214; Nintervention = 248) was considered. Within the latent difference score framework, we examined short-term changes from the pre-to-the-postintervention levels of SNS and smartphone addiction, and self-regulatory self-efficacy (SRSE) beliefs as a possible booster of the intervention's effectiveness. Results showed a significant decrease in both online addictions (SNS and smartphone addiction), controlling for age, gender, sexual orientation, and socioeconomic status, because of the short-term efficacy of the project. The buffering effect of SRSE beliefs was further supported. These findings emphasized the usefulness of promoting youths' self-regulative beliefs to contrast problematic tendencies, according to a Positive Youth Development perspective which focused on resources rather than only on the prevention of negative outcomes for youths' adjustment.

Social networking sites addiction and depression among Chinese college students: The mediating role of cognitive flexibility and the moderating role of chronotype

With the greater availability of mobile social networking sites (SNS), SNS addiction has been considered to be related to depression among college students in China. However, the underlying mechanisms of this relation remain to be further explored. Based on the Social-Ecological Diathesis-Stress Model of depression, this study examined the association between SNS addiction and depression among college students, as well as the mediating role of cognitive flexibility and the moderating role of chronotype. Four hundred and twenty-nine college students (Mage = 19.88, SD = 1.52) voluntarily filled out questionnaires regarding SNS addiction, cognitive flexibility, chronotype, and depression. The results indicated that SNS addiction was positively correlated with depression, and cognitive flexibility partially mediated the association between SNS addiction and depression. Moreover, the mediating effect of cognitive flexibility was moderated by chronotype, with the association between SNS addiction and cognitive flexibility being stronger among college students with morning type than those with evening type. The present study provides some implications for education professionals to take effective interventions targeted at cognitive flexibility to reduce depression among students suffering from SNS addiction, and pay attention to those college students with morning type.

ASSOCIATION OF SOCIAL MEDIA ADDICTION WITH ACADEMIC PROCRASTINATION, PERFORMANCE AND INSOMNIA AMONG MEDICAL STUDENTS

Objectives: Social Networking Site Addiction [SNSA] has been overwhelmingly increasing in the past few years, with obvious adverse effects on its users. This addiction has created a strong tendency in academic students to procrastinate, lose sleep and also has affected their academic performance. Design: A cross-sectional study was conducted to find out the association of social media addiction with academic procrastination, performance, and insomnia. Place and duration of study: The study was conducted at department of psychiatry Jinnah Post Graduate Medical Center (JPMC) from 12th July, 2021 till 24th December, 2021. Patients and Methods: This study was open to undergraduate students and those who had recently commenced their internship at JPMC. Any student who was absent from their assigned ward or did not provide consent was excluded from the study. Data was collected using a questionnaire that consisted of three pre-formed scales for social media addiction, academic procrastination, and insomnia. In addition, demographic information such as age, gender, and year of study was also gathered. Results: Our study involved 231 participants and found that higher levels of procrastination, especially in males, were significantly correlated with decreased sleep quality (p<0.0001). We used the Chi-Square test and Independent Samples t-test to determine this relationship. However, we did not find a significant correlation between SNSA and the academic performance of medical students. Conclusion: This study underlines that medical students with high levels of social media addiction may have an increased risk for negative outcomes of academic procrastination and insomnia.

Social comparison of ability and fear of missing out mediate the relationship between subjective well-being and social network site addiction.

As social network sites (SNS) gain more users, the problem of unhealthy user behavior such as SNS addiction arises. We conducted a cross-sectional study (n = 296) on how subjective well-being (SWB) relates to SNS addiction by investigating two possible mediators: social comparison and the fear of missing out (FOMO). While doing so, we tested two distinct associations of social comparison: social comparison of ability (SCA) and social comparison of opinion (SCO). Splitting two components of social comparison is important because, while SCA involves social outcomes often depicted in SNS posts (e.g., performance, material wealth, health, and achievements) that might evoke negative emotions such as FOMO and jealousy, SCO involves presenting or sharing one's beliefs and values in SNS posts (e.g., arguments, comments, and statements) that might evoke relatively little negative emotions. Our results showed that we replicated previous findings by demonstrating that social comparison and FOMO jointly mediated the relationship between SWB and SNS addiction. More importantly, SCA (together with FOMO), but not SCO, uniquely mediated the relationship between SWB and SNS addiction. Such distinct relations call for future research on identifying specific elements of social comparison contributing to the relation between FOMO and SNS addiction.

Love it or hate it, but can you ignore social media? - A bibliometric analysis of social media addiction

The study does a thorough bibliometric analysis of the subject through time to analyze the research landscape of social media addiction (SMA). The study concentrated on the scientific publications' topic, research trends, and scholarly production in social media addiction. From the Scopus database, the authors retrieved 712 peer-reviewed papers. The bibliometric technique thoroughly analyzed the trend, thematic focus, and scientific output in social media addiction. The analysis propounds that significant work in the field of social media addiction kickstarted in 2010. The most pertinent publications for articles about social media addictions are “International Journal of Environment Research and Public Health,” “Journal of Behavioural Addiction” and “Computers and Human behavior.” Griffith et al. (2016) work is the most cited of the examined materials. And amongst the nations, the United States has contributed the most to social media addiction research and has the most extensive number of scientific papers. The results also listed the discipline's most influential academic institutions and well-known researchers. The popular accompanying fields of analysis as revealed by the word map of the keywords, include "internet addiction”, “behavioural addiction”, “Facebook addiction”, “anxiety, and “depression”. Thematic analysis suggests that researchers in this field may explore Narcissism, Psychopaths, and Machiavellianism, to provide a better perspective on social media addiction. Also, emerging themes like “Depressive symptoms, Emotional Regulation, and Social Networking Sites (SNS) Addiction” appear to be the new dimensions of social media addiction. The Bibliometric analysis helps the present study make a valuable contribution to the area by helping to provide the direction of the existing work and the future orientation required. These findings aim to aid researchers, particularly those who are just starting in the subject of social media addiction, in deciding what areas of the field to focus on for their research; what methodology has been used and most cited; where to get the work published; which dimensions to explore, and with whom to collaborate.

Different aspects of narcissism and Social Networking Sites addiction in Poland and Germany: The mediating role of positive and negative reinforcement expectancies

Different aspects of narcissism and Social Networking Sites addiction in Poland and Germany: The mediating role of positive and negative reinforcement expectancies

A Systematic Review of Structural and Functional MRI Studies Investigating Social Networking Site Use.

An understanding of the neurocognitive profile underlying the use of social networking sites (SNSs) can help inform decisions about the classification of problematic SNS use as an addictive disorder and elucidate how/when 'SNS addiction' might develop. The present review aimed to synthesize structural and functional MRI research investigating problematic/compulsive forms of SNS use or regular (non-addicted) SNS use behaviours. We conducted a systematic search for research articles published in English using the Web of Science, PubMed, and Scopus databases up to October 2022. Studies meeting our inclusion criteria were assessed for quality and a narrative synthesis of the results was conducted. Twenty-eight relevant articles were identified comprising structural MRI (n = 9), resting-state fMRI (n = 6) and task-based fMRI studies (n = 13). Current evidence suggests that problematic SNS use might be characterised by (1) reduced volume of the ventral striatum, amygdala, subgenual anterior cingulate cortex, orbitofrontal cortex and posterior insula; (2) increased ventral striatum and precuneus activity in response to SNS cues; (3) abnormal functional connectivity involving the dorsal attention network; (4) inter-hemispheric communication deficits. Regular SNS use behaviours appear to recruit regions involved in the mentalising network, the self-referential cognition network, the salience network, the reward network and the default mode network. Such findings are at least partially consistent with observations from the substance addiction literature and provide some provisional support for the addictive potential of SNSs. Nonetheless, the present review is limited by the small number of eligible studies and large heterogeneity in the methods employed, and so our conclusions should remain tentative. Moreover, there is a lack of longitudinal evidence suggesting SNSs cause neuroadaptations and thus conclusions that problematic SNS use represents a disease process akin to substance use addictions are premature. More well-powered longitudinal research is needed to establish the neural consequences of excessive and problematic SNS use.

Analysis of the Relationship Between Social Networking Site (SNS) Addiction and Nomophobia in Iranian Higher Education Students

Background and Purpose: Smartphones offer easy access to the Internet and a good platform for all kinds of Internet activities. This study analyzed the relationship between social networking site (SNS) addiction and nomophobia among Iranian higher education students. Materials and Methods: This is a cross-sectional study. The participants were selected through a stratified sampling approach: the questionnaire comprised demographic information, Nomophobia Questionnaire, and Bergen Social Media Addiction Scale. The impact of SNS addiction on nomophobia was assessed using structural equation modeling. Then, the relations between SNS addiction and the 4 dimensions of nomophobia were examined using regression coefficients. Results: A total of 418 SNS users (279 females) took part in this work. SNS addiction showed a significant positive correlation with nomophobia and its 4 dimensions. A model with SNS addiction predicting nomophobia showed an adequate fit. The results showed that SNS addiction has a significant positive relationship with all dimensions of nomophobia. Among dimensions of nomophobia, SNS addiction was related to giving up convenience at the highest level, followed by losing connectedness and inability to access information and communicate. Conclusion: Therefore, SNS addiction explains nomophobia successfully. This study has important implications for health and education providers. Taking into account the efforts to enhance students’ mental health through educational interventions regarding responsible uses of the SNSs and making healthy online habits in policymaking is recommended.

Relationship between Materialism and Social Networking Site Addiction among Adolescents: A Moderated Mediation Model

Materialism has been consistently linked to Internet-related addictions, including compulsive online shopping, problematic online gaming, and excessive smartphone use; however, the relationship between materialism and social networking site (SNS) addiction has remained unclear. Thus, this study aims to examine the association between materialism and SNS addiction and investigate the mediating effect of fatalism and moderating effect of self-concept clarity in this relationship among 703 Chinese adolescents. Materialism was significantly positively associated with SNS addiction in adolescents, and fatalism partially mediated this association. Moreover, self-concept clarity moderated the direct and indirect relationships between materialism and SNS addiction. Specifically, for adolescents with low (versus high) self-concept clarity, those who also had high levels of materialism were more likely to develop fatalistic beliefs and showed further symptoms of SNS addiction. This study’s findings imply that decreasing materialism and fatalism and developing self-concept clarity might be effective interventions for reducing SNS addiction among adolescents.

Psychological Hardiness and its Relation to Social Networking Sites Addiction among a Sample of Female Adolescents in Jeddah

هدفت الدراسة الحالية إلى التعرف على العلاقة بين الصلابة النفسية وإدمان شبكات التواصل الاجتماعي لدى عينة من المراهقات في مدينة جدة، والتعرف على مستوى الصلابة النفسية وإدمان شبكات التواصل الاجتماعي لديهم، والكشف عن الفروق في مستوى الصلابة النفسية وإدمان شبكات التواصل الاجتماعي لدى عينة الدراسة وفقًا لمتغير (تقدير المعدل الدراسي)، وقد اعتمدت الدراسة على المنهج الوصفي بشقيه الارتباطي والمقارن، وقد تكونت عينة الدراسة من (434) طالبة من المرحلتين المتوسطة والثانوية، وقد استخدمت الباحثة مقياس الصلابة النفسية ومقياس إدمان شبكات التواصل الاجتماعي كأدوات للدراسة، وأظهرت النتائج وجود علاقة ارتباطية سالبة بين الصلابة النفسية وإدمان شبكات التواصل الاجتماعي، ووجود مستوى مرتفع من الصلابة النفسية لدى عينة الدراسة وقد جاء بعد (الالتزام) كأكثر الأبعاد ارتفاعًا في المستوى لديهم، وفي المقابل وجود مستوى متوسط من إدمان شبكات التواصل الاجتماعي حيث كان أكثر الأبعاد ارتفاعًا في المستوى هو بعد (تعديل المزاج)، كما توصلت الدراسة لعدم وجود فروق ذات دلالة إحصائية في الصلابة النفسية تبعًا لمتغير (تقدير المعدل الدراسي)، وفي المقابل وجود فروق ذات دلالة إحصائية في إدمان شبكات التواصل الاجتماعي وفقًا لمتغير (تقدير المعدل الدراسي). وبناءً على نتائج الدراسة أوصت الباحثة بالعمل على القيام بحملات توعوية للمراهقات تعمل على تشجيعهم على الاستخدام المسؤول لشبكات التواصل الاجتماعي، وإعداد برامج تثقيفية تستهدف الوالدين تركز على أهمية تنمية الصلابة النفسية لدى الأبناء منذ الصغر.

THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN EMOTION REGULATION DIFFICULTIES AND SOCIAL NETWORKING SITES ADDICTION

ABSTRACT
 One of the internet facilities that help run social activities is social networking sites. The use of social networking sites is stable on an annual basis at a duration of 3.5 hours/day and is said to bring positive emotions to the users. However, excessive use that tends to lead to the formation of social networking sites addiction can be associated with difficulty in regulating emotions. Previous study had suggested a relationship between social networking sites addiction and emotion regulation difficulties in the context of Chinese social networks. To examine this hypothesis in another location of Jakarta, this study used a non-experimental quantitative method with a self-report questionnaire, namely the adapted version of Social Networking Addiction Scale (SNAS) and Difficulties in Emotion Regulation Scale (DERS). Participants in this study were determined by the cross-sectional approach, involving 391 students (18-24 years) domiciled in Jakarta or who are enrolled in any university in Jakarta. Data was analyzed using Spearman correlation, and the result shows that there is a significant positive relationship between emotion regulation difficulties and social networking sites addiction {r (389) = 0.330, p < 0.01}.

Addiction to social networking sites: Motivations, flow, and sense of belonging at the root of addiction

The adverse effects of excessive and problematic social networking sites (SNSs) use are well described in academic and practitioner literature. However, it remains unclear how these problematic uses arise. By exploring the phenomenon of SNS addiction, this paper identifies how the problematic use of an SNS emerges and develops. We hypothesize that the flow state induced by using SNSs and the sense of belonging are two mediators of the influence of the user's motivations on the development of an SNS addiction. We used variance-based structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) to analyze data collected from a sample of TikTok SNS users and test the research hypotheses. The results suggest that different addiction mechanisms are associated with different motivations to continue using the social network. This research brings new insights to the social media addiction literature by identifying one new alternative addiction mechanism – via the sense of belonging – by which addiction to social networks can develop. Such knowledge may help inform social networking providers and organizations of social media users' engagement triggers. It also helps inform public health officials on how to help users overcome addictive behaviors on social media.

Psychology of aesthetics: Beauty, social media, and body dysmorphic disorder.

The perception of beauty is fluid within society and can morph based on cultural practices and societal interaction, such as social media exposure. The exposure to digital conference platforms has increased significantly, leading users to check their appearance constantly and find flaws in their perceived virtual appearance. Studies have shown that frequent social media use may lead to unrealistic body image ideals, a significant concern with appearance, and anxiety. Also, social media exposure can worsen body image dissatisfaction, social networking site addiction, and comorbidities of body dysmorphic disorder (BDD) such as depression and eating disorders. Additionally, excessive social media use can increase preoccupation with imagined image defects among BDD patients leading them to pursue minimally invasive cosmetic and plastic surgery procedures. This contribution aims to provide an overview of the evidence surrounding the perception of beauty, cultural aspects of aesthetics, and social media's consequences, especially on BDD's clinical specifics.