Beyond the Screen: An In-Depth Examination of Social Media Habits Among University Students

Abstract

The purpose of this study is to examine the level of social media addiction among university students. The research was conducted during the spring semester of the 2022-2023 academic year with 386 students from both public and private/foundation universities. In this descriptive research, the "Social Media Addiction Scale" developed by Tutgun-Ünal and Deniz (2015) and the "Personal Information Form" developed by the researcher were utilized. Participants voluntarily joined the study, and data was collected online. Data was analyzed using the SPSS software, employing statistical methods (frequency, t-test, and ANOVA) appropriate for the research objectives. The findings suggest that students generally exhibit a low level of addiction to social media (slightly addicted), but demonstrate a moderate level of addiction in terms of engagement and mood regulation dimensions. The study found that gender does not affect social media addiction, but age and type of university do influence addiction levels. Notably, students from private or foundational universities showed higher addiction levels compared to those from public universities. Moreover, an increase in time spent on social media correlates with an increase in addiction level. These findings contribute to a better understanding of university students' social media usage habits.