Uses of social networking sites and their relationship to the level of depression and psychological loneliness among Egyptian youth

Document Type : Original Article

Author

Assistant Professor, Department of Mass Communication, Faculty of Arts - Helwan University

Abstract

This study aims at unveiling the relationship between the use of social media websites among the youth and its impact on their feeling depressed and alienated, in the presence of variables as diverse as frequency of access to these websites, topics most favored by the youth, number of friends on their personal accounts, gender variable, educational level, social and economic level. 
The researcher selected a deliberate sample made up of up to 400 social media website users among the youth. The study reached the following conclusions: What's Up topped websites most cherished by the youth, followed by Facebook, then YouTube.
As regards the study hypotheses, the main hypothesis concerning the variability of depression moods in relation to demographics of users of social media websites was partially validated. There were statistically significant differences between gender variable and depression mood. The differences tipped the scales in favor of females. 
Also, the main hypothesis concerning the variability of loneliness in relation to demographics of users of social media websites among the youth, as there were statistically significant differences between education variable and loneliness.
Also there exists a statistically significant positive relationship associating the frequency of using Tik Tok & Instagram with loneliness:  the more these two websites were used the more depression mood ensued among the youth.
As regards the relationship associating the type of topics that are most cherished by users of social media website among the Youth with depression mood, there was a significant linkage associating the frequency of following up political and sarcastic topics with depression mood? The more the political and sarcastic topics were followed up, the more depression mood was engendered

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