Predictors of problematic social media use among university students: virtual world risk perception, social influence, and internet and social media use patterns

Abstract

This study examines the effect of social influence sensitivity on the relationship between virtual world risk perception (VWRP) and problematic social media usage (PSMU), as well as the variables that predict PSMU among university students. A total of 552 university students participated in the study, 334 female and 218 male. The study utilized a personal information form and three different scales. We tested the proposed hypotheses using the Partial Least Squares (PLS) approach for Structural Equation Modeling (SEM). According to the research findings, the variable with the most significant relative impact on PMSU is VWRP. The sub-dimensions of social influence strategies, measuring social influence sensitivity, are significant predictors of PSMU. Also, other variables that significantly impact PMSU are daily social media usage time, daily Internet usage time, and age. According to the moderator analysis results, social comparison is not moderating the relationship between VWRP and PSMU. However, social learning-social proof (SL-SP) is moderating this relationship, particularly for individuals with a high level of SL-SP and a low level of VWRP.