Addiction to social networking sites and its relationship to social isolation among university students A descriptive comparative study between Algeria; Sultanate of Oman and Egypt

Abstract

This study aimed at investigating social media addiction and it its relationship to social isolation among university students in Algeria, Sultanate of Oman, and Egypt. The study employed a comparative descriptive design in an attempt to answer two main questions: (1) is there any association between social media addiction and social isolation among university students in Algeria, Sultanate of Oman, and Egypt? And (2) are there differences among university students in terms of social media addiction and social isolation according to the variables of gender and country of residence, and what is the nature of interaction between these variables? Data collection was conducted on a sample consisting of 50 university students by means of a social media addiction questionnaire, which was developed by the researcher and verified in terms of validity and reliability as well as a social isolation scale adapted from Massad Abdel Wahid Mutawa Abu Riah's (2006) scale. The study concluded by discussing results and putting forth recommendations and suggestions for future research.

Keywords: addiction; social media; social isolation; university students; comparative descriptive study.