Social Networking Addiction and Self-esteem among University Students

Abstract

Aim of the Study: The current study aimed to determine the association between social networking addiction and self-esteem in Pakistani university students as there is a dearth of indigenous empirical literature on the issue.

Methodology: A cross-sectional research design was used in the current study. Using the stratified random sampling technique, 300 university students (i.e., BS & MS) were selected from a university in Faisalabad city, Pakistan. The Social Networking Addiction Scale (Shahnawaz & Rehman, 2020) and the Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale (Rosenberg, 1965) were used to assess the social networking addiction and self-esteem of university students respectively. The Pearson product-moment correlation and regression analysis were carried out using Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS v-23) for data analysis.

Findings: The findings of the study revealed a significant negative correlation (-.39**, p<.01) between social networking addiction and the self-esteem of the participants. Moreover, social networking addiction was found to be a significant predictor (p<.001) of lower levels of self-esteem in the participants.

Conclusion: The study concluded that the community should take some remedial measures targeting the excessive use of social media which is identified as a risk factor to develop low self-esteem in the youth.