Relationship Between Social Media Usage and Social Anxiety Among College Students

Abstract

The aim of the research is to study the relationship between social media usage and social anxiety among college students. A sample of 140 college students aged between 18-25 years was taken. In this research sampling was done through Convenience Sampling Method, which is a type of non-Probability sampling technique, where the sample is selected based on ease with accessibility. It was studied with two tool- Social Media Usage Integration Scale Jenkins-Guarnieri 2013 and The Liebowitz Social Anxiety Scale Liebowitz, 1987 Data analysis was performed using SPSS, including the calculation of Pearson correlation coefficients and t-tests. The present study aimed to investigate the relationship between social media use and social anxiety among college-going students. The study found a significant positive correlation between social media use and social anxiety, suggesting that as social media use increases, so does social anxiety among college-going students. Specifically, the study found that social media use was significantly associated with social anxiety fear and social anxiety avoidance. These findings are in line with previous research that has found a link between social media use and mental health issues such as anxiety, depression, and loneliness. Social media use has become increasingly ubiquitous among young adults, and this study highlights the potential negative impact that excessive use of social media can have on mental health.