Exploring the Influence of Excessive Social Media Engagement on Cognitive Abilities in Females across Wide Age Ranges

Abstract

Social media provides us with a way to connect with others who share our interests and values. Over engagement with social media has become increasingly prevalent, leading to various impacts on cognitive functions. The aim of the present study is to examine the effect of overinvolvement in social media on different cognitive functions in female students. The study was conducted with 80 participants, divided into two groups based on their involvement with social media. Social Media Addiction Test, Prospective Retrospective Memory Questionnaire, Working Memory Questionnaire, Clock Test sequences and Span of Attention measuring tool were used. Analysis of the data was done by computing t test, using SPSS 23, keeping p-value at 0.05. Findings show that Prospective memory was significantly lower in the participants who were over involved with social media. However social media engagement did not show any detrimental influence on other cognitive functions like working memory, span of attention and sustained attention. Easy access to social media, impulsiveness and lack of self-control may be the probable cause of the findings related to prospective memory. On the other hand, strategic use and certain positive aspects of social media may nullify the possible negative effects, while working memory, span of attention and sustained attention were compared.