Date of Conferral

2022

Degree

Ph.D.

School

Psychology

Advisor

Rochelle Michel

Abstract

This study with college and university emerging adult undergraduates (N = 189) aged 18–24 tested the social learning and flourishing theory hypotheses, examining to what extent the relationship between social networking addiction (SNA) and student-motivated strategies for learning are mediated by self-esteem (M1) and a sense of flourishing (M2). Four instruments were used: the Bergen Social Media Addiction Scale, the Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale, Diener’s Flourishing Scale, and the Motivated Strategies for Learning Questionnaire. A nonexperimental cross-sectional quantitative parallel mediation research design to assess the literature implications indicated that emerging adults endure biopsychosocial damages when excessive, problematic, or addictive patterns in technological behaviors, such as internet addiction, problematic internet use, problematic social media use, and SNA behaviors, become habitual in learning. The regression analysis revealed that SNA was not positively correlated when regressed on the parallel mediators (path a). Mediators M1 and M2, when regressed on the dependent variables (path b), were not positively correlated, and social networking addiction regressed on motivated strategies for learning (path c) revealed no direct relationship. The scores obtained from the instruments identified the need to understand different forms of technological behavior addiction and their potential to disturb emerging adult cognition. Healthy social networking mastery may foster and promote positive social change through increased knowledge accessibility, awareness, and communication, deepen social relationships, and empower activism to right the wrongs in government and social institutions where systematic policies of discrimination may exist.

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