Association of Social Networking with Self-Esteem, Perceived Stress and Subjective Happiness of Young Adults

Abstract

At present times, people spend more and more time engaging in social networking and hence, the use of social networking sites has alarmingly increased over the years. The amount of time one spends on social media and its excessive usage has quite a significant effect on an individual’s mental health and well-being. This research, therefore, aims to determine whether there is a significant association of usage and time spent on social networking with self-esteem, perceived stress and subjective happiness of young adults. Using the Social Networking Time Use Scale (SONTUS), Rosenberg’s Self-Esteem Scale (RSES), Perceived Stress Scale (PSS) and Subjective Happiness Scale (SHS), data were collected from 180 participants (female=94, male= 86) aging between 20 to 24 years, based in West Bengal, India. The findings indicate a significant negative correlation between social networking usage and self-esteem, and social networking usage and subjective happiness.