A RESEARCH ON THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN LONELINESS AND SOCIAL MEDIA ADDICTION OF UNIVERSITY STUDENTS: THE CASE OF MUŞ ALPARSLAN UNIVERSITY

Abstract

Many innovations have occurred in the fields of communication under the influence of developing and changing technologies. With these developments, internet use has moved to a different dimension with Single technology. Single technology enable the production and dissemination of content in social media channels. Social media users continue to use it for needs such as having fun, socialising and obtaining information. According to Wearesocial 2023 Turkey report, young individuals use social media the most. Young individuals spend a significant portion of their time on these networks due to their active use of social media channels. Thus, it was tried to understand whether there is a relationship between social media use and loneliness. The sample of the study consists of Muş Alparslan University students. In the context of the survey conducted on 378 people, it was aimed to analyse the relationship between individuals' social media usage rates, social media usage purposes, time spent on social media and loneliness. Among the results of the study are that the participants like to use social media and spend time on social media, check their social media account as the first thing when they wake up in the morning, and use social media to be informed about current events. It was also concluded that there was no relationship between social media use and loneliness.