Kurdish Studies

April 2024
Volume: 12, No:2, pp. 6472-6480
ISSN: 2051-4883 (Print) | ISSN 2051-4891 (Online)
www.KurdishStudies.net
Received: January 2024 Accepted: February 2024
DOI: https://doi.org/ 10.53555/ks.v12i2.2873

The Effect of Social Media Addiction on Attention Span and

Aggression among University Students
Muhammad Husain1, Dr. Nudrat Mushtaq2, Dr. Nasim Khan Mahsud3, Huda Afzal4, Saliha
Naseer5, Dabeer Hussain6

Abstract

Social media now permeates every aspect of everyday life, impacting social relationships, communication, and
information gathering. On the other hand, worries are raised about how social media addiction could influence
attention spans and aggression. This research aims to explore the relationship between social media addiction,
attention span, and aggression among university students, considering the growing prevalence of social media use
and its implications for mental health. University students were included in the research. The Aggression
Questionnaire (AGQ), the Mindful Attention Awareness Scale (MAAS), and the Social Media Addiction
Scale (SNAS) were used as assessment instruments. Correlation analyses were performed in order to under the
relationship between social media addiction, attention span, and aggression. The findings revealed a significant
negative correlation between SNAS and MAAS (r=-.391**, p<.001), suggestive of a possible decline in
mindful attention awareness in people with an increased addiction to social networking. Moreover, a positive
correlation was found between SNAS and AGQ (r=.488**, p<.001), indicating that a greater propensity to
engage in violent behavior, especially online, may be associated with an increased addiction to social networking.
MAAS has negative correlation with AGQ (r=-.322**, p<.001) that indicates that the person with high
level of mindfulness are less likely to engage in aggressive behavior. Furthermore, the association between
aggressiveness and social media addiction is favorable, underscoring the significance of treating violent behaviors
linked to social media addiction.

Keys words: Social Media Addiction, Mindful, Attention span, Aggression, Effect of Media

Background

In the current digital era, social networking is become a necessary part of our everyday existence
impacting how we communicate, connect with one another, and get information. In addition
to completely changing the dynamics of interpersonal connections Concerns over social
media's potential influence on people's behavior and mental processes have arisen as a result
of its widespread use. (Kuss & Griffiths, 2017). According to Hussain et al. (2023), in their
study on the association between internet addiction level of adolescents and parental parenting
style, significant correlations were found between certain parenting styles and the extent of
internet addiction among adolescents. Specifically, they found that internet has significant role

1 Lecturer Department of Psychology, Baluchistan University of Information Technology, Engineering and Management Sciences. (BUITEMS)
Correspondence Author Email: [email protected]
2 Assistant Professor, Department of sociology, Sardar Bahdaur Khan Women’s University.
3 Assistant Professor, Department of sociology, Allama Iqbal Open University (AIOU), Islamabad.
4 Clinical Psychologist, Technoventure Software Company.
5 Department of Psychology, Bahria University, Lahore
6 Department of Psychology, Baluchistan University of Information Technology, Engineering and Management Sciences. (BUITEMS)
6473 The Effect of Social Media Addiction on Attention Span and Aggression among University Students
on adolescents (Hussain et al., 2023).The rising incidence of social media addiction and its
possible effects on users' attention spans and levels of aggression are two such areas of worry.
A third of people on the planet used social media as of January 2016, demonstrating the
exponential expansion of this medium (Hawi & Samaha, 2017). Governments, political parties,
nonprofit organizations, medical facilities, academic institutions, and others are drawn to the
dynamic usage and interactions of social media. Businesses and organizations are using social
media to expand their client base and market share as more people use social media networks
on a daily basis. Social media is widely used by businesses in the European Union (EU) for a
variety of reasons, including employment choices, product development, public relations,
marketing, and customer support. Additionally, a lot of businesses and individuals use social
media networks to expand their reach and enhance their reputation and identity. At the same
time, people are using social media more frequently in their daily lives, which is leading to
addiction and unsettling mental and physical issues for users in the long run (Baccarella et al.,
2018). Virtual worlds including online games, chat rooms, homepages that resemble rings built
of web pages, electronic bulletin boards, and social networking programs are used by people
to communicate online. Users can use virtual lives on Facebook, Twitter, Google Plus, My
Space, YouTube, LinkedIn, Tagged, Badoo, Xing, Orkut, Pinterest, WhatsApp, Viber,
Snapchat, LINE, Pinterest, LinkedIn, Telegram, Blackberry Messenger, and Kakao Talk as a
means of escaping from everyday life and interacting with others (Vannucci et al., 2017).
Although social media platforms have advantages and disadvantages, our primary concern is
the harm they do to individuals, especially when it comes to addiction, since users who exhibit
behavioral symptoms of addiction regardless of their circumstances are of particular concern.
(Pellegrino et al., 2022). As far as we can tell, social media addiction is defined as compulsive
use of social media sites that exhibits signs of behavioral addiction. Among the symptoms are
salience, tolerance, conflict, withdrawal, relapse, and mood regulation. (Peng & Liao, 2023).
The studies on social media addiction found that although withdrawal, negative effects, and
obsession are all obvious signs of addiction, the validity of social media addiction remains
debatable (Stănculescu & Griffiths, 2022). Additional studies on social media research
Measuring tools for social media addiction have not been created or validated, despite the fact
that major behavioral addiction symptoms—tolerance, withdrawal, conflict, salience, relapse,
and mood modification—are displayed by social media users.(Peng & Liao, 2023).
Studies have indicated that aggression has a negative impact on mental health. (Newman et al.,
2023). Likewise, young people's mental health issues are brought on by verbal aggressiveness
(Polcari et al., 2014). Aggression, on the other hand, has a negative correlation with wellbeing
and mental health. It might be argued that verbal aggressiveness is more appropriate on social
media since it takes place there instead of in person. Therefore, by reducing emotional
engagement during conversation, people may react aggressively more frequently, which may
be linked to social media addiction (Howe & Cionea, 2021).
People require social support in order to feel loved, cared for, and respected by friends and
family, as well as to combat unfavorable life events and lower stress levels while boosting
happiness. People discuss their personal issues, unpleasant experiences, and emotions with
others in an effort to find social support and solutions (Zhao et al., 2021). Despite the fact that
new technologies typically improve people's quality of life, case studies from psychiatrists and
related research on addiction prevention also highlight the fact that excessive use of these
technologies can lead to new issues. An individual's mental health may be negatively impacted
by a lack of real social support, which can result in depressive and anxious sentiments.

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 Husain et al. 6474
(Pellegrino et al., 2022). Stressors that university students must deal with include pressure from
their coursework as well as other challenges in life, such as moving away from home, taking
care of oneself, and finding new friends. (Hussain, Rana, et al., 2023). Because of this, students
could use social media excessively as a means of unwinding and forgetting about their daily
problems. Other factors contributing to increased social media use include feeling more
at liberty online and the diversity of social media use on mobile devices (Brailovskaia et al.,
2019). Our research attempts to add to the knowledge on social media addiction and its
possible effects on users' attention spans and levels of aggression among university students.

Literature Review

Elnur Rustamov & Matanat Aliyeva (2023) looked at how aggression affects the relationships
between social media addiction and adolescent wellbeing. 1354 minors were involved in the
study; 808 of them were female and 546 of them were male. The participants' average age was
14.12 (SD= 1.51). The Warwick-Edinburgh Mental Wellbeing Scale, the Buss Perry Aggression
Questionnaire, and the Bergen Social Media Addiction Scale were used to collect the data.
(Umer et al., 2022). The results of the study demonstrated that violence has a major mediating
role in the relationship between social media addiction and mental health. Thus, it can be said
that among those who are addicted to social media, rage is a poor indicator of mental health.
(Rustamov et al., 2023).
Asma, Raja, and Assad Rahman (2022) investigated the link between teenage internet addiction
and aggressive conduct. In September 2023, 157 students from different Haripur municipal
schools and colleges, including Aarti Shukla and Mustafa Nadeem Kirmani, were included in
the sample of 200 individuals, aged 15 to 19, in order to investigate the effect of internet
addiction on aggressiveness. Issue V, Volume IX. The research indicates a clear link between
internet addiction and aggressiveness. (Shukla & Kirmani).
Phan (2023) investigated the impact of social media on upcoming economists. What impact
has social media had on the perception of attention span among Swedish high school
economics students? This study uses a qualitative deductive method and in-depth interviews
to examine how social media affects high school students' attention spans. The survey, which
involved students from various socioeconomic backgrounds and social media usage patterns,
discovered that although students valued interesting information, they were also worried about
addiction and continual diversions. Customized strategies are needed to balance social media
with schoolwork, and the research highlights the significance of study areas, timing, and self-
discipline. But several students found it difficult to put their studies ahead of social media,
which resulted in worry and decreased output. (Hussain, Iqbal, et al., 2023). To prioritize
academics while promoting healthy habits, setting limits, and encouraging responsible social
media usage, educators, parents, and students must work together to implement integrated
efforts that address the complicated link between social media and attention spans. The results
also emphasize how crucial it is to use certain strategies and treatments to deal with the
particular problems associated with managing social media in high school. (Phan, 2023).
Shukla & Kirmani (2023) A cross-sectional research design was used to investigate the effects
of internet addiction on teenage aggressiveness and attention span. The study involved 60
adolescents, with 30 each, and used socio-demographic data. The internet addiction test, Child
Behavior Checklist (CBCL), and Digital Memory Test were used to assess the participants'
behavioral and emotional problems, aggression levels, and working memory. The data was
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6475 The Effect of Social Media Addiction on Attention Span and Aggression among University Students
analyzed using SPSS 26 software program using T-test, finding significant correlations between
the variables (Hussain, Razaq, et al., 2023). The findings demonstrated how an adolescent's
conduct, hostility, and attention span are impacted by internet addiction. There is a strong
correlation between internet addiction, behavioral issues, and attention span as online addiction
is associated with emotional behavior issues and violence in real life. In the study, parental
support and advice were also taken into account. (Shukla & Kirmani).
Aim of the Study
This study aims to evaluate the effect of social media addiction on attention span and
aggression among university students.
Objectives
1) The relation of social media addiction with attention span and aggression among university
students.
2) The connection of attention span with aggression.
3) The attention span levels and aggressiveness of females and males having social media addiction.
Hypothesis
There will be no significant relationship between aggression, attention span and social media
addiction among university students.
Methodology Design
For this study, a cross-sectional research approach was adopted.
Sample
For the current study, 280 students from Quetta's government and private institutions—147
males and 133 women—were selected using a convenient sampling method.
Tools
1) Socio-demographic Details: Through the use of a self-made proforma, the researchers
collected sociodemographic data. This information included details such as age, gender,
education level, time spent on social media, marital status, family income, the type of
family, relationship with family members and concern about anger.
2) Social Networking Addiction Scale (SNAS): The social networking addiction scale (SNAS)
was utilized, with the authors' consent, to gauge students' addiction to social media. This
questionnaire is developed by M.G. Shahnawaz & Usama Rehman and consists of 21
statements in which each item is rated on 7-point Likert scale (where 1= strongly disagree, 2=
disagree, 3= somewhat disagree, 4= neutral, 5= somewhat agree, 6= agree, 7= strongly agree)
with the total score ranging from 21 to 147. The total is obtained by taking the sum of all the
questions. Any score above 84 signifies addiction (Shahnawaz & Rehman, 2020).
3) Mindful Attention Awareness Scale (MAAS): This scale was used to measure the
attention span among the students. Permission was taken from the authors. This
questionnaire is developed by Kirk Warren Brown & Richard M Ryan. This scale is a 15-
item, 6-point questionnaire (where 1= almost always, 2= very frequently, 3= somewhat
frequently, 4= somewhat infrequently, 5= very infrequently, 6= almost never). We score
it by simply taking the mean of all the questions. A higher score indicates more attention
(Brown & Ryan, 2003).
4) Aggression Questionnaire (AGQ): After getting permission from the authors, Buss-
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 Husain et al. 6476
Perry aggression questionnaire was used to measure the level of aggression among the
students. The scale was developed by Arnold Buss and David Perry. This self-report
questionnaire is composed of 29 items that is rated on 5-point Likert scale (ranging from
1 = extremely uncharacteristic of me to 5 = extremely characteristic of me). Two items in
the scale are reverse scored. The scale consists of 4 factors which are Physical Aggression
(9 items whose score range from 9-45), Verbal Aggression (5 items with score ranging from
5-25), Anger (7 items that range from 7-35) and Hostility (8 items whose score range from
8-40). The total score is calculated by adding the scores of all the items (with scores ranging
between 29 and 145). Higher score indicates higher aggression (Mostafaei et al., 2014).
Procedure: Participants in this study were older than 18, representing both genders and age
groups. They were told of the objective of the study and consent forms were given to
participants and data was gathered from self-rated surveys social media Addiction
Questionnaire, Aggression and Attention span Questionnaire were given and Study
Description Instructions. The procedures outlined in each handbook for gathering data were
adhered to. To get the findings, the data was gathered and sorted in accordance with the study's
inclusion criteria.
Ethical Considerations
1) The participants received guarantees that their information would be kept private, and that
no information would be shared without prior consent.
2) Every participant gave their informed permission.
3) The participants were told that if they required psychological assistance, they may get in
touch with the researcher.
4) We obtained permission from all reputable writers to utilize the surveys.

Result

Sample table N was described in this session regarding age, gender, education level, time spent
on social media, marital status, family income, the type of family, relationship with family
members and concern about anger in order to comprehend the characteristics of the sample
so that analysis could be carried out. The following table covers the following topics: age,
gender, education level, time spent on social media, marital status, family income, the type of
family, relationship with family members and concern about anger.

Table 1: Demographic Characteristics of Participants (N=280).

Ƒ %
Gender
Female 133 47.5
Male 147 52.5
Marital Status
Single 255 91.1
Married 22 7.8
Engaged 3 1.1
Education
BS 252 90
MS 27 9.6
PhD 1 0.4
Family System
Joint 150 53.6
Nuclear 130 46.4
Marks Satisfaction

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6477 The Effect of Social Media Addiction on Attention Span and Aggression among University Students
Ƒ %
Unsatisfied 9 3.2
Somewhat unsatisfied 23 8.2
Neutral 82 29.3
Somewhat Satisfied 67 23.9
Satisfied 99 35.4
Relationship with siblings
Unsatisfied 6 2.1
Somewhat Unsatisfied 9 3.2
Neutral 64 22.9
Somewhat Satisfied 50 17.9
Satisfied 151 53.9
Relationship with father
Unsatisfied 3 1.1
Somewhat Unsatisfied 16 5.7
Neutral 36 12.9
Somewhat Satisfied 45 16.1
Satisfied 180 64.3
Relationship with mother
Unsatisfied 2 0.7
Somewhat Unsatisfied 12 4.3
Neutral 31 11.1
Somewhat Satisfied 36 12.9
Satisfied 199 71.1
Family views about anger
Unsatisfied 41 14.6
Somewhat Unsatisfied 41 14.6
Neutral 100 35.7
Somewhat Satisfied 54 19.3
Satisfied 44 15.7
Participant views about anger
Unsatisfied 31 11.1
Somewhat Unsatisfied 34 12.1
Neutral 104 37.1
Somewhat Satisfied 58 20.7
Satisfied 53 19
Note: F = Frequency ; % = Percentage.
The table below shows the presents participants’ characteristics including mean, standard
deviation, minimum, maximum.

Table 2: Mean and Standard Deviation of the Participants for Demographic Characteristics.
Participants Characteristics N=250
M SD Mini Max
Age 21.5 2.44 16 33
Family income 172989 321576 20000 3000000
Birth order 2.65 1.8 1 12
Siblings 4.6 2.2 1 12
Note: M= Mean, SD= Standard Deviation, N= Total Participants, Mini= Minimum,
Max=Maximum.
The result indicates the age with M=21.5, SD=2.44 (Mini=16, Max= 33), family income
M=172989, SD=321576(Min=20000 and Max=3000000), birth order M=2.6, SD=
1.8(Mini=1 and Max=12), and siblings M=4.6, SD=2.2 (Mini=1, Max=12).
Hypothesis 1: There will be no significant relationship between aggression, attention span and social media
addiction among university students.

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 Husain et al. 6478
Table 3: Correlation Study of Variable
Variables SNAS MAAS AGQ
SNAS 1 -.391** .488**
MAAS 1 -.322**
AGQ 1
Note: SNAS= Social Networking Addiction Scale (SNAS), MAAS= Mindful Attention
Awareness Scale (MAAS), AGQ= Aggression Questionnaire (AGQ), **. Correlation Is
Significant at the 0.01 Level.
SNAS has negative correlation with MAAS (r=-.391**, p<.001) and positive correlation with AGQ
(r=.488**, p<.001) that indicates that the negative correlation implies that as social networking
addiction increases, individuals may experience a decrease in mindful attention awareness. This
suggests that excessive engagement with social media platforms may hinder one's ability to focus
on the present moment and engage in activities with full awareness. Social media, with its constant
stream of notifications, updates, and information, can create an environment that promotes
distraction. This constant distraction may make it challenging for individuals to cultivate
mindfulness, leading to a reduced ability to be fully present in their offline, real-world experiences
and positive correlation suggests that as social networking addiction increases, there may be a
tendency for individuals to exhibit more aggressive behaviors, particularly in the online realm. Social
networking sites may give rise to a variety of aggressive behaviors, such as unpleasant remarks,
cyberbullying, and physical altercations. The positive correlation implies that that people with social
networking addictions could be more prone to participate in or encounter these kinds of hostile
activities online. MAAS has negative correlation with AGQ (r=-.322**, p<.001) that shows the
positive link implies that practicing mindfulness promotes an inactive awareness of one's thoughts
and feelings. This implies that those who have greater levels of MAA would be less prone to
respond impulsively or violently to stimuli in both online and offline environments.

Discussion

This research offers an insight into how social media addiction affects university students'
attention span and aggression. The results of this study show a strong relationship between
university students' attention span, aggression, and social media addiction. The negative
correlation between Social Networking Addiction and Mindful Attention Awareness suggests
that people may experience a decline in mindful attentive awareness as their addiction to social
networking grows. This implies that spending too much time on social media might make it
more difficult to pay attention to the here and now and participate in activities fully consciously.
Social media's never-ending barrage of notifications, information, and updates fosters a
distracted atmosphere that makes it difficult for people to practice mindfulness and be totally
present in their offline experiences.
Moreover, the positive correlation between SNAS and Aggression shows that people may have
a propensity to behave more aggressively as their addiction to social networking grows,
especially when it comes to online interactions. Aggression takes many forms on social media
sites; these include confrontations, nasty remarks, and cyberbullying. The positive correlation
implies that people with social networking addictions could be more prone to participate in or
encounter these kinds of hostile activities online. The negative correlation between MAAS and
AGQ suggests that engaging in mindfulness training encourages a passive awareness of one's
thoughts and emotions. Higher mindfulness practitioners could be less inclined to respond
rashly or violently to stimuli in both online and offline environments. This finding emphasizes
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6479 The Effect of Social Media Addiction on Attention Span and Aggression among University Students
the potential protective role of mindfulness in mitigating aggressive tendencies associated with
social media addiction. The results align with existing literature that links social media addiction
to negative outcomes, such as decreased attention span and heightened aggression(Shukla &
Kirmani). The research included in the literature review lends more credence to the idea that
social media addiction might have an adverse effect on mental health, with aggressiveness
serving as a mediating factor in the association between adolescent mental health and social
media addiction.(Rustamov et al., 2023). The study advances knowledge of the intricate
relationships among university students' social media addiction, attention span, and violence.
These findings have ramifications for mental health practitioners, legislators, and educational
institutions. University students' mental health may benefit from interventions that minimize
aggressiveness associated with online interactions and encourage thoughtful social media use.
(Hussain, Hassan, et al., 2023).

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