Exploring the Impact of Social Media Addiction on Anxiety and Depression among University Students

Abstract

Social media has become a vital and integral part of the lives of university students which allows them to communicate, learn and entertain. But, there are worries that it can have some negative impacts on mental health, especially anxiety and depression, particularly when the rate of use is too high. While there are a number of previous studies that have investigated the relationship between school and culture, the majority have been based on quantitative analysis, thereby limiting the knowledge of the students' personal experiences. Thus, the present study intended to investigate the students' lived experiences of social media addiction and the reported relationship between social media addiction and anxiety and depression. An interpretivist research philosophy and an inductive qualitative approach were adopted.  A phenomenological research approach was used to gain a deep understanding of participants' experiences. The data were collected using purposive sampling from the 20 respondent students who are enrolled in the university aged between 18-30 years old by conducting semi-structured interviews. The interview data were analysed using Braun and Clarke's thematic analysis. Five major themes emerged from the analysis: compulsive social media use, constant social comparison, fear of missing out (FoMO), sleep disruption, and academic pressure.  Participants reported that excessive usage of social media created stress, anxiety, negative self-comparisons, emotional exhaustion, and depressive feelings, it also had an impact on their academic performance and daily routines. The results complement the Social Comparison Theory, in that they show that the comparison with others on social media has a negative impact on psychological well-being during a period of time. The study’s qualitative findings add to the existing literature and have practical implications for universities, parents, students, and mental health practitioners to foster more positive social media use and enhance student well-being. Keywords: social media addiction, anxiety, depression, university students, qualitative research, phenomenology, social comparison theory.