INVESTIGATING THE INTERPLAY OF STRESS, LONELINESS, AND SOCIAL MEDIA ADDICTION AMONG MILLENNIALS AND GEN Z

Abstract

The pervasive use of social media has become a double-edged sword, offering both connectivity and the risk of addiction. As stress levels rise in modern society, individuals increasingly turn to social media platforms as a means of escape and emotional regulation. However, this behavior may be compounded by underlying feelings of loneliness, which can exacerbate the relationship between stress and social media addiction. The current study explores the mediating role of loneliness in the relationship between stress and social media addiction among millennials and Generation Z. The research employed the Bergen Social Media Addiction Scale (BSMAS), the Perceived Stress Scale (PSS), and the Three-Item Loneliness Scale (SIS) among 411 participants. This study identified that the level of social media addiction, perceived stress, and loneliness had a significant positive correlation. Mediation analysis suggests that loneliness acts as a mediator between social media addiction and perceived stress. Also, Generation Z had a higher degree of social media addiction compared to millennials to support the second hypothesis about the higher jeopardy of young people when it comes to the negative impacts of social media usage. Therefore, it can be seen that understanding and preventing loneliness is essential to reduce stress and improve well-being in young adults. Consistent with the results of the study, the authors stress the importance of preventive measures to minimize the negative effects of social media use and encouraging the moderation of screen time. Further research should be carried out with the inclusion of different subjects and study designs with a view of establishing the extent of the associations between these factors and designing intervention approaches that would foster the psychological well-being of young adults in this digital world.