“Social Media Addiction & Psychological Well-Being among the Undergraduate Arts and Science Students from Tiruchirappalli and Dindigul Districts".

Abstract

Social media has become the fourth pillar of democracy. It is an unavoidable tool evolving at a rapid pace. Since the creation of social media networks, the internet has become the most popular tool among college students because they embrace new media quickly, such as Facebook, Twitter, Linkedin, Snapchat, Instagram, Pinterest, and YouTube. It has become the new gateway for the expression of today’s college generation. Studies reveal that university students use social networking most among the various age groups. These social media also affect students’ mental health; which refers to their emotional, psychological, and social well-being. 

The aim of the study was to find out the relationship between Social Media Addiction (SMA) and Psychological Well Being (PWB) among the undergraduate arts and science colleges from the districts of Tiruchirapalli and Dindigul. The 29 items Social Media Addiction Scale - Student Form by Cengiz Şahin (2018) and 18 items Psychological Well-Being scale by Ryff.C.D et al., (2010) scales were used to measure SMA & PWB. Using Google form the data were collected randomly from Literature, Arts and Science students. (Fifty each from three different colleges, N=150). Statistical tools such as ANOVA, Chi-Square and Correlation Tests have been used to verify the hypotheses and draw a conclusion.

It was observed that there exist a significant, negative association between SMA & PWB (r = 0.725, p<.00, Sig) Undergraduate students spend boundary-less time on social media platforms. They have no proper reason/purpose for using this social media thus the pattern of their behaviour has been changed, their life orientation has been shattered/distracted. As a result, most of them do not know how to balance their lifestyle between the virtual world and the real.  Hence they need to be motivated on the right path so that they may value/live their younger adolescence as a meaningful and purpose-driven life. The authors have explained in detail in this paper.