Social Media Addiction in Generation Z Consumers: Implications for Business and Marketing 3031334515, 9783031334511

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SpringerBriefs in Business Teresa Berenice Treviño Benavides · Ana Teresa Alcorta Castro · Sofia Alejandra Garza Marichalar · Mariamiranda Peña Cisneros · Elena Catalina Baker Suárez

Social Media Addiction in Generation Z Consumers Implications for Business and Marketing

SpringerBriefs in Business

SpringerBriefs present concise summaries of cutting-edge research and practical applications across a wide spectrum of fields. Featuring compact volumes of 50 to 125 pages, the series covers a range of content from professional to academic. Typical topics might include: • A timely report of state-of-the art analytical techniques • A bridge between new research results, as published in journal articles, and a contextual literature review • A snapshot of a hot or emerging topic • An in-depth case study or clinical example • A presentation of core concepts that students must understand in order to make independent contributions SpringerBriefs in Business showcase emerging theory, empirical research, and practical application in management, finance, entrepreneurship, marketing, operations research, and related fields, from a global author community. Briefs are characterized by fast, global electronic dissemination, standard publishing contracts, standardized manuscript preparation and formatting guidelines, and expedited production schedules.

Teresa Berenice Treviño Benavides Ana Teresa Alcorta Castro Sofia Alejandra Garza Marichalar Mariamiranda Peña Cisneros Elena Catalina Baker Suárez

Social Media Addiction in Generation Z Consumers Implications for Business and Marketing

Teresa Berenice Treviño Benavides Department of Management Universidad de Monterrey San Pedro Garza García Nuevo León, Mexico

Ana Teresa Alcorta Castro Department of Management Universidad de Monterrey San Pedro Garza García Nuevo León, Mexico

Sofia Alejandra Garza Marichalar Department of Management Universidad de Monterrey San Pedro Garza García Nuevo León, Mexico

Mariamiranda Peña Cisneros Department of Management Universidad de Monterrey San Pedro Garza García Nuevo León, Mexico

Elena Catalina Baker Suárez Department of Management Universidad de Monterrey San Pedro Garza García Nuevo León, Mexico

ISSN 2191-5482     ISSN 2191-5490 (electronic) SpringerBriefs in Business ISBN 978-3-031-33451-1    ISBN 978-3-031-33452-8 (eBook) https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-33452-8 © The Editor(s) (if applicable) and The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2023 This work is subject to copyright. All rights are solely and exclusively licensed by the Publisher, whether the whole or part of the material is concerned, specifically the rights of translation, reprinting, reuse of illustrations, recitation, broadcasting, reproduction on microfilms or in any other physical way, and transmission or information storage and retrieval, electronic adaptation, computer software, or by similar or dissimilar methodology now known or hereafter developed. The use of general descriptive names, registered names, trademarks, service marks, etc. in this publication does not imply, even in the absence of a specific statement, that such names are exempt from the relevant protective laws and regulations and therefore free for general use. The publisher, the authors, and the editors are safe to assume that the advice and information in this book are believed to be true and accurate at the date of publication. Neither the publisher nor the authors or the editors give a warranty, expressed or implied, with respect to the material contained herein or for any errors or omissions that may have been made. The publisher remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations. This Springer imprint is published by the registered company Springer Nature Switzerland AG The registered company address is: Gewerbestrasse 11, 6330 Cham, Switzerland

Preface

Social media has changed how people communicate, interact with one another, and obtain information. Particularly, young Internet users are increasingly connected as they develop their personality and other aspects of their life. In fact, a recent study found that most users aged 13–17 are constantly connected to the Internet (Pew Research Center, 2018). This indicates a blurred line between their offline and online worlds, as their devices always have Internet access, and they are in a constant state of alert for new notifications. These behaviors are now proving to cause some negative impacts on people, such as depression, lack of sleep, anxiety, and social pressure. Recognizing the need to describe how Generation Z users’ behaviors pertaining to their social media use can lead to such negative outcomes and ultimately form a possible addiction, we embarked on a journey of understanding such a phenomenon. Therefore, this book seeks to explore the behaviors of social media addiction (SMA) among Generation Z youngsters. It strengthens the literature by exploring (a) the activities of Generation Z on social media, (b) the potential factors that influence SMA, and (c) the possible outcomes and consequences of addictive social media use. Even though SMA has been studied extensively, no consensus has been reached among scholars. SMA is a topic that continues to be studied with difficulties and challenges in terms of diagnosis. Furthermore, the COVID-19 pandemic marked many changes that contributed to the significant growth and use of social media. The book is structured as follows: Chapter 1 presents an introduction that provides context on the topic and highlights the contribution of this study. Chapter 2 addresses the existing research on social media use among Generation Z users, which will serve as a basis for understanding the phenomenon. Chapter 3 reviews the literature on SMA, the pathological use of the Internet, and the components that may lead users to become addicted to social media. Chapter 4 presents the methodology for achieving the research objectives and explains the data collection process and data analysis steps. Chapter 5 presents findings on how Generation Z users engage with social media, which includes activities and behaviors observed in participants. Chapter 6 discusses findings around the influencing factors of SMA, which include external causes, psychopathological elements, and maladaptive cognitions. Chapter 7 presents the possible outcomes and v

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consequences observed in Generation Z participants and describes several factors such as dependence, lack of productivity, negative feelings and low self-esteem, and obsessive thoughts. Chapter 8 presents a proposed model that summarizes the behaviors around SMA.  This model is constructed by incorporating the research findings with the existing literature. Finally, Chapter 9 concludes the study by discussing the managerial and theoretical implications of the findings and summarizing important points that may serve as ideas for future research on the topic. Overall, this book explores the idea of SMA and examines the role played by Generation Z as a segment in perpetuating addiction. We believe that this book will benefit readers interested in social media use and online consumer behavior. Personally, I would like to thank the coauthors for fully embracing the journey of conducting this research and writing this book. The insights and findings presented in this book encapsulate a long research process that we hope stimulates further conversations around the topic. San Pedro Garza García Nuevo León, Mexico

Teresa Berenice Treviño Benavides

Contents

1

Introduction: Social Media in People’s Lives������������������������������������������   1

2

 Research on Social Media Use and Generation Z����������������������������������   5 Media as Part of Generation Z’s Lives������������������������������������������������������    6 Social Media Use and Social Media Addiction ����������������������������������������    7

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Social Media Addiction������������������������������������������������������������������������������   9 Potential Factors that Influence Social Media Addiction��������������������������    9 Pathological Internet Use ����������������������������������������������������������������������    9 Components That May Lead Users Toward Social Media Addiction������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������   12 Outcomes and Consequences of Social Media Addiction in Generation Z������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������   14

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Methodology: Toward an Understanding of Social Media Addiction ����������������������������������������������������������������������������������������  17

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Social Media Activities������������������������������������������������������������������������������  23 Search for Information������������������������������������������������������������������������������   23 Inspiration��������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������   24 Communication������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������   24 Entertainment��������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������   25 Community Belonging������������������������������������������������������������������������������   25 Reminders��������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������   25

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 Potential Causes of Social Media Addiction��������������������������������������������  27 Psychopathology����������������������������������������������������������������������������������������   27 Narcissistic Traits����������������������������������������������������������������������������������   29 Obsessive Thoughts ������������������������������������������������������������������������������   29 Mental Disorders������������������������������������������������������������������������������������   29 Personality Traits ����������������������������������������������������������������������������������   30 External Causes������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������   30 Family Discomfort ��������������������������������������������������������������������������������   30 vii

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Lack of Support from Loved Ones��������������������������������������������������������   31 Context Situations����������������������������������������������������������������������������������   31 Maladaptive Cognitions ����������������������������������������������������������������������������   31 Affinity Impulse ������������������������������������������������������������������������������������   32 Curiosity Impulse����������������������������������������������������������������������������������   32 Validation Impulse ��������������������������������������������������������������������������������   32 Contact Comfort and Immediacy Impulse ��������������������������������������������   32 Fear of Missing Out ������������������������������������������������������������������������������   33 Dependence on Smart Devices��������������������������������������������������������������   33 Escape from Reality������������������������������������������������������������������������������   33 Urge to Share ����������������������������������������������������������������������������������������   33 Notification Anxiety������������������������������������������������������������������������������   34 Feeling Included (or Being a Part of Something)����������������������������������   34 Altruistic Impulse����������������������������������������������������������������������������������   34 7

 Possible Outcomes and Consequences of Addiction ������������������������������  35 Dependence on Smart Devices������������������������������������������������������������������   35 Lack of Productivity in Daily Life Routines����������������������������������������������   35 Consequences for Academic or Professional Environment ����������������������   36 Negative Feelings��������������������������������������������������������������������������������������   36 Low Self-Esteem Due to Comparison ������������������������������������������������������   36 Lack of Connectivity and Social Interaction����������������������������������������������   37 Obsessive Thoughts ����������������������������������������������������������������������������������   37 Lack of Rest ����������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������   37 Waste of Time��������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������   37

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 Understanding Generation Z and Social Media Addiction��������������������  39 Social Media as Part of Generation Z��������������������������������������������������������   39 Psychopathology����������������������������������������������������������������������������������������   41 External Factors ����������������������������������������������������������������������������������������   41 Maladaptive Cognitions ����������������������������������������������������������������������������   42 Outcomes and Consequences��������������������������������������������������������������������   42 Toward an Understanding of the Behaviors of Social Media Addiction����������������������������������������������������������������������������������������   43

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Conclusions on Social Media Addiction and Generation Z ������������������  45

Glossary��������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������  47 References ����������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������  49

Chapter 1

Introduction: Social Media in People’s Lives

It is okay to own a technology, what is not okay is to be owned by technology. Abhijit Naskar

Abstract  Social media is known to help users connect and interact with others anywhere and anytime, allowing researchers to observe human behavior on an unprecedented scale with a new lens. Even though social media has benefited users, it has also led to an alarming consequence, which is addictive use. As Internet access began to increase, researchers started to find dysfunctional patterns of excessive Internet use. This problem became known as Internet addiction (IA) or Internet dependency, defined as the lack of capacity to control one’s use of the Internet. Furthermore, the constant use of social media has also led to dysfunctional patterns of excessive social media use, particularly in young users. This chapter addresses the context for such social media addiction. While many scholars have discussed the interaction between Generation Z and social media, no studies have properly explained the real causes, behaviors, and consequences of this generation’s addiction to these platforms. Keywords  Internet use · Internet addiction · Social media addiction The Internet has changed our life. Today, many people have access to Internet-­ connected devices and can find any information they desire (Katz & Rice, 2002). Internet usage includes all communication, that is, social networking, messaging, e-mailing, and chatting, and entertainment, such as games, music, and videos. In addition, the Internet has applications that allow users to consume, develop, and share user-generated content, which is what social media is based on (Tuten & Solomon, 2017).

© The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2023 T. B. Treviño Benavides et al., Social Media Addiction in Generation Z Consumers, SpringerBriefs in Business, https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-33452-8_1

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Moll and Odriozola (2014) regarded social media as one of the more recent Internet developments, which include applications such as Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and TikTok. According to Statista (2021), these social media apps are extremely popular in Mexico. Among Mexicans who are part of Generation Z, about 16% use Facebook, 12% use Instagram, and 10% use Twitter. TikTok, a new trending app, is used by approximately 4% of the country’s Generation Z population. Also, social media is known to help users connect and interact with others anywhere and anytime, allowing them to observe human behavior on an unprecedented scale with a new lens. Even though social media has benefited users, it has also led to an alarming consequence, which is addictive use. Ross et al. (2010) defined addiction as involving people engaging in an activity because it causes pleasure. Addictions have different characteristics such as doing something in excess, thinking obsessively about an activity, using the activity to escape pain or reality, and believing that the addiction is something good. Research has also suggested that since these types of addictions do not necessarily involve intoxicants, they are rather known as impulse control disorders, which include gambling, pathological working, videogaming, or the Internet. Scholars have argued that these types of addictions cause brain stimulations similar to those in substance, drug, or alcohol addiction (Young, 1998). In the case of impulse control disorders, there are no physical components—such as in one’s addiction to a certain substance, for example—although the symptoms of both types of addictions are similar. As Internet access began to increase, researchers started to find dysfunctional patterns of excessive Internet use. This problem became known as Internet addiction (IA) or Internet dependency, defined as the lack of capacity to control one’s use of the Internet, leading to negative consequences. The focus is on how its signs and symptoms are similar to those of substance or gambling disorders, which have been considered addiction (Shaw & Black, 2008). Effortless access to the Internet has developed social media addiction (SMA) through the unreasonable and excessive use of social media to the point where it obstructs an addict’s daily life (Griffiths, 2010). People with this addiction are distressed with social media and cannot control their impulse to log on to and use it (Andreassen & Pallesen, 2014). SMA has been found to be usually associated with a “host of emotional, relational, health, and performance problems” (Hou et  al., 2019, p. 9). It is important to highlight that the frequent use of social media does not necessarily correspond to an addiction (Griffiths, 2010). What can distinguish these two actions is the moment, or thin line, when it becomes uncontrollable and even compulsive, like most behavioral addictions. Particularly, the use of the Internet has defined Generation Z, as they have had access to it from an extremely young age (Villafuerte, 2019; De Jesús Sánchez, 2020). Generation Z has been defined to start from 1997 to the 2010s (The Pew Research Center, 2018; Bloomberg News, 2019; American Psychological Association, 2019; The Economist, 2019; The Wall Street Journal, 2018; Harvard Business Review, 2017). Generation Z is also characterized by a digital relation with the Internet from an early age, through which some young people can escape

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from the emotional and mental problems they encounter outside the digital environment (De Jesús Sánchez, 2020). Members of this generation are connected online through social media for long periods during the day (Cooper, 2020). They use social media to develop relationships and stay in contact with their family and friends, constituting a new generational rule (De Jesús Sánchez, 2020). Although Generation Z has grown more connected through social media, literature has shown that they have become the loneliest generation also because of social media. This is because they spend the vast majority of their time on these platforms and fail to create real meaningful connections fostered in face-to-face relationships. This loneliness is caused by an addiction to social networks, which not only triggers anxiety and depression but also increases the risk of developing mental health issues (Hilliard, 2019). While many scholars have discussed the interaction between Generation Z and social media, no studies have properly explained the real causes, behaviors, and consequences of this generation’s addiction to these platforms. Addiction, as used in the literature, refers to a physiological dependence between a person and some stimulus, usually a substance. For this reason, the DSM-5, published by the American Psychiatric Association (2013), does not use addiction to describe the pathological use or abuse of a substance or other such stimulus, nor does it consider compulsive gambling as an addiction. Despite the absence of a standardized definition for SMA, there is an acknowledgment of this term among researchers. Currently, Google Scholar generates approximately 922,000 results for the term “social media addiction.” Therefore, the acronym SMA shall be used throughout this research. This book explores the behaviors found in SMA among Generation Z users. Adopting a qualitative approach, this research contributes to the literature by exploring (a) the activities of Generation Z on social media, (b) the potential influencing factors of SMA, and (c) the possible outcomes and consequences of addictive social media use.

Chapter 2

Research on Social Media Use and Generation Z

Abstract  The present chapter addresses recent research around the topic of social media use and Generation Z.  Particularly, the chapter presents some benefits of social media, such as communication, personal brand-building, fun, leisure, among others. However, it is well-known that all benefits of social media come with a price, which are explored within this chapter. For example spreading personal information, privacy and social risks, as well as significant time spent on these platforms, which may lead to social media addiction. Social media addiction is considered as a form of Internet addiction, as individuals use social media compulsively and excessively which are linked to brain changes. Some effects of social media addiction have been addressed, such as poor mental health, bad performance in academic or work activities, and affecting user’s ability to pay attention to important aspects of their lives. Further, this chapter discusses the Bergen Social Media Addiction Scale (BSMAS), created by Griffiths (Internet addiction: does it really exist? In: Gackenbach J (ed) Psychology and the Internet: intrapersonal, interpersonal and transpersonal applications. Academic, New York, pp  61–75, 1998), which attempts to measure the possibility of developing social media addiction. Keywords  Social media addiction · Consequences of social media addiction · Bergen Social Media Addiction Scale (BSMAS)

The number of social media users has continued to grow in an unprecedented manner. In the 2020 Digital Global Statshot, DataReportal confirmed that social media users grew by 10% over the past year. This represents more than 3.96 billion active users on social networks, corresponding to more than half of the world’s population. The report also mentioned that for the last year, an average of about 1 million people started using social media for the first time every day—an average of 12 new users per second (Kemp, 2020). In Mexico, the five most important social media apps in 2020 were Instagram, YouTube, Facebook, Twitter, and TikTok (Robinson, 2021). © The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2023 T. B. Treviño Benavides et al., Social Media Addiction in Generation Z Consumers, SpringerBriefs in Business, https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-33452-8_2

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2  Research on Social Media Use and Generation Z

Although Instagram users have increased exponentially every year, Facebook has the lead with over 2701 million active users as of October 2020, followed by YouTube and WhatsApp with 2000 million and Instagram 1160 million (Statista, 2021). For the purpose of this study, YouTube was not considered as social media because of its impact on the teaching–learning process; it is a platform for users who want to watch or show videos, which is beneficial for teaching and learning activities. For example, a search for the word “education” on YouTube generates more than 11 million videos. Also, educational studies have shown that YouTube is useful for the management of learning communities and the formation of students’ skills for content search, storage, and selection (Ramirez, 2016). In addition, this study also did not consider WhatsApp as social media because it is an instant messaging app, which is a priority for communication purposes. Studies have found that instant messaging apps are also used in education to potentially grow students’ learning as well as their interactions with their classmates on personal, academic, and other related topics; it also creates a sense of belonging, removes social barriers, and grows the motivation of alumni (Cetinkaya, 2017). It is known that social media is used not only for fun and leisure but also to fulfill other activities in people’s daily lives. Internet users use virtual social media such as Facebook for different reasons, such as chatting, sending free messages, creating public or private events, staying informed about other people and their activities, or sharing photos and videos (Moll & Odriozola, 2014). Shy youngsters are more likely to use social media more frequently because it alleviates their fear of getting to know more people (Villafuerte, 2019). This means that social media can be a positive tool for people who are too shy to make friends in real life and that it can be used constructively. Meanwhile, according to Kuss and Griffiths (2011), extroverts use social media to improve their social relationships, while introverts use it to compensate for their lack of ability to build significant connections.

Media as Part of Generation Z’s Lives Social media has become an important part of individuals’ lives because of the benefits they gain from it, which are participation, the ability to share with their connections, and relationships. As mentioned above, Facebook is one of the most popular social media platforms; its purpose is to share information with people, see what your friends are doing, and search the platform for people around you or around the world. Also, consumers who are already online and checking Facebook follow this as a routine online behavior (Sheldon, 2008). A study on social networking activities (LaRose et al., 2010) defined a concept called “Facebook intensity,” where users state how Facebook has become part of their daily routine and everyday activities. Communicating with family and friends and communicating to meet new people are some activities in online social networking.

Social Media Use and Social Media Addiction

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Furthermore, while users from this generation engage in social networks in their daily lives, they have been found to create their own desired image through the content they share (Vitelar, 2019). This personal brand-building through Instagram and other platforms occur as they share their day-to-day. They like to update their feed every day as well as post their personal and social information, among others. Social networks provide a wide variety of tools through profiles, such as blogs, micro posts, personal websites, and online discussions (Vitelar, 2019).

Social Media Use and Social Media Addiction Allagui and Breslow (2016) stated Generation Z likes to share fun and dynamic content on social networks, the most popular being visual memes, as well as icons, images, and symbols, which make them an immensely visual generation. Social media is used not only for fun and leisure but also for accomplishing activities in people’s daily lives. Research has identified several reasons for engaging in the abovementioned social media activities. For example, a study in Hong Kong in 2013 examined the roles of narcissism and gratification when using Facebook, blogs, and forums. The research showed that social media was used to satisfy five sociopsychological needs: showing affection, venting negative feelings, gaining recognition, being entertained, and fulfilling cognitive needs. It demonstrated that people who intend to engage their social environment and fulfill their need for affection use Facebook and blogs. The results of the study showed that exhibitionists seemed to use social media to show affection, express negative feelings, and achieve recognition. Social media is found to be a channel for narcissists to exert control over their self-­ presentation (Leung, 2013). It is well-known that all benefits of social media come with a price, as mentioned in the Netflix documentary Social Dilemma launched in 2020. The use of the Internet has been increasing, causing an addiction to it. IA is defined as an individual’s incapacity to control their Internet use, which causes mental distress and functional disorders (Parra et  al., 2016). Because of users’ exposure to the Internet, personal information, privacy, social risks, and significant time spent on these platforms, they may acquire SMA and become unable to escape from it (Social Dilemma, 2020; Bauer et al., 2012; Lopatovska & Mokros, 2008). SMA is considered as a form of IA, as individuals use social media compulsively and excessively (Hou et al., 2019). Furthermore, excessive behaviors are linked to brain changes, and it is more likely to be recovered (He et al., 2017). People who are diagnosed with this addiction log in to their accounts uncontrollably and are unable to stop. According to Alavi (2012), a study in Iran found that more than 12% of users have been diagnosed with SMA.  Meanwhile, a study involving public and private schools in India reported that 19.96% of individuals were addicted to social media (Masthi et al., 2017). Another research conducted at a university in Ghana

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2  Research on Social Media Use and Generation Z

found that 80% of participants had moderate or mild addiction to social media (Otu, 2015). SMA has different effects like the ones mentioned and, as in other addictions, people fail to pay attention to what is important in their lives. Hou’s et al. (2019) study involving students from a university in Beijing used the cognitive–behavioral model to link poor mental health to SMA.  The study described how addiction affected their performance and how they behaved according to their mental health (Hou et al., 2019). Some studies have also used an important tool that helps detect whether a user is an Internet or social media addict. The psychometrically validated Bergen Social Media Addiction Scale (BSMAS) assesses one’s risk of suffering from or developing SMA. According to Griffiths (1998), any behavior that meets the following six criteria can be operationally defined as an addiction: 1. The activity that generates addiction is always the priority for the individual. 2. There are abnormal changes in mood. 3. The body of the individual begins to generate tolerance for the amount consumed; as a result of this, the user feels that it is never enough and always wants more. 4. The individual has withdrawal symptoms, and the activity that generates addiction is withdrawn. 5. The individual presents conflicts in the personal, social, and academic or work area. 6. The possible relapse of the individual in the activity that causes addiction. The BSMAS includes these six elements, which assess an individual’s use of social networks during the year before the test was taken. The items are rated using a five-­ point Likert-type scale (1 = very rarely and 5 = very frequent or always). The higher the user’s score, the higher is their possibility of developing or suffering from SMA.  The BSMAS has been previously validated by different studies in various parts of the world (Leung et al., 2020). The present study required the BSMAS for sample selection, which was based on Davis’s (2001) cognitive–behavioral model and Young’s (1998) pathological Internet use (PIU). This research attempts to understand the social media behavior of young people from Generation Z and how this affects their lives.

Chapter 3

Social Media Addiction

Abstract  This chapter begins discussing the pathological Internet use, as a basis to understand how such behavior is similar to other type of addiction such as gambling, as they both are impulse control disorders. Further, the cognitive-behavioral model of pathological internet use (PIU) is presented and explained throughout its components. Particularly, the chapter explains that maladaptive cognitions, or false beliefs, also called irrational beliefs may ultimately be linked to problematic Internet use. Additionally, this chapter addresses the possible components or factors that may lead users do develop social media addiction, such as sleep disorders, length of use, anxiety or depression, family discomfort, unfavorable work or academic situation, and family problems. Finally, some outcomes or consequences of social media addiction are explored, which include depression, insomnia, anxiety and negatively associated with life satisfaction, well-being, and affected academic performance. The chapter concludes by offering a summary of the most important concepts in the literature review associated with social media addiction. Keywords  Pathological internet use · Maladaptive cognitions · Components of social media addiction · Outcomes of social media addiction

Potential Factors that Influence Social Media Addiction Pathological Internet Use Some reports, according to Young (1998), presume that IA exists the same way as addictions to drugs, alcohol, gambling, and others. This way, addiction models are similar to the excessive use of technology, and dependence on computer and video games has been examined. Of the large number of diagnoses carried out, pathological gambling is the most associated with the use of the Internet. Pathological gambling, as a model of addiction to the Internet, can refer to one’s control of impulses and disorders. © The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2023 T. B. Treviño Benavides et al., Social Media Addiction in Generation Z Consumers, SpringerBriefs in Business, https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-33452-8_3

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Young (1998) states that gambling addiction and IA are comparable and similar because they are both impulse control disorders. Young (1996) used a model to measure gambling addiction and modified it to measure IA in an experiment involving different participants. According to this, PIU is also known as a maladaptive pattern of Internet use that leads to clinically significant impairment or distress (Fernandes et  al., 2019). Young (1996) coined the concept of PIU from a study where she found that the correlation between the level of interactivity with the platform used by the online user and addiction to the Internet suggested a higher risk of PIU. According to Davis (2001), there are two types of PIU: specific and generalized. Specific pathological Internet use (SPIU) focuses on specific content and involves just one unique aspect of the Internet that exists independently of multiple Internet functions, such as online pornography. SPIU can also result from preexisting psychopathology associated with online activity. Meanwhile, generalized pathological Internet use (GPIU) concerns the overuse of the Internet, which refers to wasting time online without any specific objective. An example of GPIU may be the use of social media to fulfill an elevated desire to remain in a virtual social life. Davis (2001) stated that some studies have included the underlying psychopathology as part of the excessive use of the Internet—everything that includes depression, anxiety, and substance dependence. However, a relation was found between psychological disorders and methodological problems, which have complicated the power of the studies. Psychopathology is necessary for diagnosing PIU because it is one of the main drivers of PIU symptoms. According to Young (1996), although PIU is cognitive–behavioral, the significance lies in the cognitive symptoms. These symptoms are defined by insistent thoughts about the Internet, a decline in impulse control, the lack of control to stop using the Internet, and, most importantly, the feeling that the Internet is an individual’s only friend. The individual feels as if the Internet is the only place where they can feel good about themselves and others. Another PIU symptom may be described by users thinking about the Internet while doing other activities; for example, this can be seen in their urge to spend time online while performing schoolwork. Davis (2001) mentioned that a person with PIU engages in fewer activities compared to the time before they started their PIU. An example of this may be the moment the individual stops doing what they like and is fun for them, as nothing is pleasant for them now. One risk factor is when the person completely isolates themselves from their friends and is only in contact with their online connections. People with PIU experience feeling guilty for using the Internet as well as lie to friends about the time they spend online and believe that their use of the Internet should be kept secret from other people. They understand that what they do is not well received by society but also that they cannot control it, which leads to a deficit in self-esteem and produces more PIU symptoms. To better understand PIU, Davis (2001) created the cognitive–behavioral model of PIU and explained it using a diagram as shown in Fig. 3.1. According to Davis (2001), the cognitive–behavioral model of PIU, seen in Fig. 3.1, states that some Internet users may be vulnerable to the development of

Potential Factors that Influence Social Media Addiction

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Fig. 3.1  Cognitive-Behavioral Model of PIU (2001) Adapted of “A Cognitive-Behavioral Model of Pathological Internet Use” by R.A. Davis, 2001, Computers in Human Behavior, 17(2), p. 190

maladaptive cognitions. The term “maladaptive cognitions” refers to false beliefs, also called irrational beliefs (Gibbons, 2020). Since social media is part of GPIU, one can infer that maladaptive obsessive use patterns can develop from circumstantial signs such as the lack of support from loved ones. This could be mixed with mental anguish (psychopathology), such as social anxiety, and, together with Internet use, take place when the Internet, in this case social media, provides positive reinforcement, according to Davis (2001). In this context, the word “reinforcement” can be described as operant conditioning, which, according to Garnerhm (2015), is defined as changes in voluntary behaviors due to an occurrence after a reaction. In this case, operant conditioning works among social media users, as they are most of the time positively reinforced with nice comments or many likes from other users. This may help develop maladaptive cognitions, which “have been linked to problematic Internet use in a theoretical model based upon a cognitive– behavioral approach” (Sebre et al., 2018, p. 98). In 2018, different studies were conducted in Beijing, China, to analyze the addiction to social media and its impacts, mediation, and intervention (Hou et al., 2019). One of the studies focused on Davis’s (2001) cognitive–behavioral model, which was applied to undergraduate students who had SMA. The students answered the BSMAS to participate. They were randomly divided into the control and experimental groups and then tested before and after the intervention. With this model, the purpose was to apply Young’s (2007) cognitive–behavioral therapy techniques recommended for treating IA. The study combined cognitive reconstruction, reminder

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3  Social Media Addiction

cards, and the diary technique. The first stage of the intervention involved participants writing down responses to the following questions: “How much time they spent on social media per day and per week? What other meaningful things they could do with that time? What were the benefits of not using social media? Why did they use social media and were there alternative ways to achieve the purposes? What were the adverse effects of social media use?” (Hou et  al., 2019, p.  7). Afterward, both groups were asked not to use social media for 1 week. During the week, the participants in the experimental group kept a diary on their social media use as part of cognitive–behavioral techniques; meanwhile, the control group received no instructions during the week. When the week finished, the same questions were asked to both groups to evaluate how they were doing. The results showed that the experimental group was successfully and effectively evaluated with the cognitive reconstruction intervention. Hence, the implementation of an intervention based on the cognitive–behavioral approach was successful in reducing SMA and improved the mental health of the participants as well as their academic efficiency. In Ecuador, one of the main causes of SMA in young people is the frequent feeling of being alone or forgotten by their families. It is through this addiction that people can find solutions to their problems (Villafuerte Zorrilla, 2019). The researchers found that young people use social media as an escape to feel better and to make new friends.

 omponents That May Lead Users Toward Social C Media Addiction A quantitative study in Peru by Padilla and Ortega (2017) observed a notable connection between the dimensions of SMA and depressive symptomatology; this caused a lack of self-control and severe depressive symptomatology in 44.1% of students. Addiction to the Internet can also cause the emergence of anxiety indicators such as fast heart rate, sweating, and dry mouth. Other symptoms that contribute to the development of anxiety might be cardiac arrhythmia, drug-induced paranoia, lack of sleep, and other similar indicators (Davis, 2001). Different personal and social factors influence how a propense addict behaves, which can explain why they fall into SMA.  In terms of age and sex, women are more likely to be affected alongside youngsters, and the behaviors found in the personality of the addict are low control of impulses, low self-esteem or self-worth, lack of warmth, and looking for new sensations. Other issues include sleep disorders, length of use, anxiety or depression, family discomfort, unfavorable work or academic situation, and family problems (Villafuerte Zorrilla, 2019). Furthermore, in 2018, youngsters in the United States spent around 5 h per day on their smartphones. When examining the use of smartphones in relation to the

Outcomes and Consequences of Social Media Addiction in Generation Z

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depression found in some users, women showed 58% more symptoms of depression compared with men (Villafuerte Zorrilla, 2019). Another study in Norway, which involved more than 23,500 people, found that young, single women displayed the highest dependence on social media and that youngsters want access to social media without being interrupted (Sheldon et al., 2019). Other studies suggested that social media addicts can experience depression, anxiety, and isolation and even engage in uncontrolled spending (Villafuerte Zorrilla, 2019). On the one hand, Tuten and Solomon (2017) examined the six most common impulses of the motives behind one’s involvement on social media. The affinity impulse refers to a place where people can find something, such as recognize a taste, join a virtual community, or keep a virtual friend. Therefore, the affinity impulse explains that the reason for entering social networks is to keep in contact with old friends and to create and maintain new social relationships. Researchers found that another impulse, called the personal utility impulse, refers to a constant rumination of the benefits that users will receive from being involved on social media. The third impulse is the contact comfort and immediacy impulse, which refers to people’s development of a natural psychological urge to feel close to others. After users feel this closeness, they experience a sense of relief, which pertains to the contact comfort aspect of the impulse. The fourth impulse is the altruistic impulse, which refers to users’ belief that they are changing the world through their participation in social networks. The fifth impulse is the curiosity impulse, which refers to the use of social media as a source of information and the satisfaction of one’s curiosity by following and visiting other people’s profiles. Finally, the last impulse is known as the validation impulse, described as the user’s need to feed their ego, be accepted by others, and raise their self-esteem (Tuten & Solomon, 2017). On the other hand, recent studies suggest that the true reason for the high engagement on social media is the “fear of missing out” (FOMO) (Buglass et al., 2017; Oberst et al., 2017). FOMO is described as “a pervasive apprehension that others might be having rewarding experiences from which one is absent” (Griffiths & Kuss, 2017). The use of social media can influence users’ daily cognitive functioning, which may cause sleep disturbances due to users’ inability to stop monitoring social media, as they are afraid of missing out on what is happening in the world or what their social media relationships are doing (Sánchez, 2013; Tandon et al., 2020; Xanidis & Brignell, 2016). Considering that research on the topic has suggested multiple potential factors that may influence SMA, there remains a lack of consensus about the motives behind this behavior. For this reason, the present study intends to address a specific research question: What are the potential factors that influence SMA?

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 utcomes and Consequences of Social Media Addiction O in Generation Z Zhou et al. (2018) study in Beijing, China, sought a link between SMA and college students’ mental health and academic performance. It found that SMA had a negative effect on the students’ self-esteem and on how they receive information and described how an individual’s academic performance is highly affected when they present addictive social media behaviors. The study observed a relation between poor mental health and SMA. SMA has grown in a way because of the development of people’s dependence on technology. It has been affecting an estimated 210 million people worldwide. Other studies have shown that users’ emotional states have been affected by SMA, which has influenced their behavior. As this new term keeps developing, it is important to study its behaviors and explore the factors that define it (Longstreet & Brooks, 2017). What can distinguish social media overuse from the addiction itself is the fact that SMA can cause negative consequences when it becomes unmanageable and compulsive. Studies have found that this kind of addiction, such as Facebook addiction, is positively associated with depression, insomnia, and anxiety and negatively associated with life satisfaction, well-being, and even energy and can also affect academic performance (Hou et al., 2019). According to Frost and Rickwood (2017), social media has been linked to mental health outcomes, which include clinical levels of distress and damaged behavior, especially among young adults with mental health problems. Longstreet and Brooks (2017), in a quantitative study, also described how addiction to the Internet and social media decreases life satisfaction and highlighted the importance of continuing to study it. He observed that the increase in Internet technology has escalated the constant use of and dependency on social networking sites; it is also difficult to know how much is excessive use and when it becomes an addiction. This is why people should be aware of the young generation’s dependence on social media since it is becoming a more common problem especially from a young age, where technology is accessible (Longstreet & Brooks, 2017). Considering these, the present study attempts to answer another specific research question: What are the outcomes and consequences of SMA? An interpretation of insights based on the cognitive–behavioral model was made to synthesize all the collected information. As shown in Table 3.1, this study interpreted the gathered data according to how previous researchers linked them to a concept that was mentioned in their respective studies.

Outcomes and Consequences of Social Media Addiction in Generation Z

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Table 3.1  Social media addiction concepts synthesized by authors Social media addiction Concept Affinity impulse Altruistic impulse Anxiety Contact comfort and immediacy impulse Curiosity impulse Decreased life satisfaction in the user Deficit in self-esteem Dependence on smart devices Depression Family discomfort Fast heart rate/cardiac arrhythmia Feeling alone Feeling forgotten by loved ones FOMO Guilt for using the Internet too much Isolation Lack of sleep Lack of support from loved ones Narcissism Negative effects on user’s emotions and behaviors Personal utility impulse Poor mental health SMA as a solution to the user’s problems Social anxiety Social media as an escape from the user’s reality Social psychological needs Substance dependence Unfavorable work or academic situation User defeating their fear of getting to know more people User only contacts online friends Validation impulse Withdrawal Source: Own Elaboration, 2021

Author Tuten and Solomon (2017) Tuten and Solomon (2017) Davis (2001) Tuten and Solomon (2017) Tuten and Solomon (2017) Longstreet and Brooks (2017) Villafuerte Zorrilla (2019) and Hou et al. (2019) Longstreet and Brooks (2017) Davis (2001) Parra et al. (2016) Parra et al. (2016) Villafuerte Zorrilla (2019) Villafuerte Zorrilla (2019) Buglass et al. (2017), Oberst et al. (2017), Xanidis and Brignell (2016), Sánchez (2013), and Tandon et al. (2020) Davis (2001) and Longstreet and Brooks (2017) Davis (2001) Davis (2001) and Hou et al. (2019) Davis (2001) Leung (2013) Longstreet and Brooks (2017) Tuten and Solomon (2017) Hou et al. (2019) Villafuerte Zorrilla (2019) Davis (2001), Villafuerte Zorrilla (2019), and Hou et al. (2019) Villafuerte Zorrilla (2019) Leung (2013) Davis (2001) Hou et al. (2019) Villafuerte Zorrilla (2019) Hou et al. (2019) Tuten and Solomon (2017) and Longstreet and Brooks (2017) Longstreet and Brooks (2017)

Chapter 4

Methodology: Toward an Understanding of Social Media Addiction

Abstract  This chapter explains in detail the methodology process to study explanations for the social media addiction phenomenon in Generation Z users as well as the underlying reasons for such behavior. For this purpose, a qualitative method was used to obtain deep insights about the topic. First, participants completed the BSMAS to ensure that all participants had a high risk of developing or suffering from SMA. Further, two focus groups were conducted, as well as 27 individuals participated in a diary technique to record the processes of the respondents while abstaining from social media for 5 days. Finally, 15 in-depth interviews were conducted with participants to follow up on their process and obtain further insights. Data analysis process as well as the validation process is explained in detail in this chapter. Keywords  Research methodology · Qualitative methodology · Focus groups · Diary technique · In-depth interviews This research adopted a qualitative approach to understand the behaviors that define SMA among Generation Z users. Particularly, the motive for using a qualitative approach arises from the need to study the explanations for the SMA phenomenon in Generation Z users as well as the underlying reasons for such behavior. A qualitative method allows researchers to obtain deep insights that might help answer the research question. Furthermore, similar studies that sought to explore similar phenomena but in different contexts or with different samples have conducted qualitative research (Hou et al., 2019). Particularly, Grau, Kleiser, and Bright in 2019 adopted the observational method to study the same phenomenon but among the millennial generation. In addition, many studies conducted in the same year in China with a comparable purpose (Hou et al., 2019) followed a similar methodology to the one used in this research. The study began with participant selection through convenience sampling. However, for the selection of participants, users needed to complete the BSMAS to ensure that all participants had a high risk of developing or suffering from SMA. The © The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2023 T. B. Treviño Benavides et al., Social Media Addiction in Generation Z Consumers, SpringerBriefs in Business, https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-33452-8_4

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BSMAS has been previously validated by different studies in other countries and consists of six elements that evaluate an individual’s social media use the year before they took the test (Leung et al., 2020, p. 3). Particularly, this tool has also been translated into Spanish; therefore, this adaptation was used for the present study (Monfil & Ibañez, 2018). The SMA test was applied to 200 members of Generation Z between ages 18 and 24 in the A/B and C+ socioeconomic groups, which represent 29% of the current population in Monterrey and San Pedro Garza García in Nuevo León, México (AMAI, 2018). Among the participants who took the BSMAS, 144 individuals were deemed at risk of suffering from SMA. Once the test was administered and the results verified, the participants whose scores indicated a risk of suffering from or developing SMA were asked to participate in the next phases of the study in exchange for entering a raffle for three Amazon gift cards. Furthermore, the data collection process was divided into two phases. Phase 1 consisted of two focus groups of six people each, which were carried out through a Zoom meeting (see Table  4.1). Focus groups are helpful because they provide insights into the participants, aiming to identify their attitudes, beliefs, feelings, experiences, and reactions that would not be visible using other methods (Gibbs, 1997). In addition, all sessions were video- and audio-recorded with the consent of the participants and lasted approximately 1 h and 30 min. The participants were asked different questions that have been previously structured and created based on the research objectives. In phase 2, a diary methodology was adopted to record the processes of the respondents while abstaining from social media for 5 days. A total of 27 individuals participated in this phase (see Table 4.2). They were asked to verify the time they Table 4.1 Participants: focus group

Participants Focus group 1 Fernanda M. Rebecca T. Ricardo G. Ana Paula R. Andrea Z. Ma. Fernanda G. Paula M. Focus group 2 Paloma M. Roberta L. Valeria C. Luis Javier Mariana C. Nicole M.

Age Occupation 23 22 23 23 22 21 21

Student Student Student Student Student Student Student

22 22 23 22 23 21

Student Student Business owner Master student Student Student

4  Methodology: Toward an Understanding of Social Media Addiction Table 4.2  Participants: diary technique

Participants Week 1 Stephanie S. Ma. Fernanda C. Alda C. Rosa B. Melissa G. Martha I. José Alan S. Claudio C. Carolina D. Paulina H. Ma. Fernanda E. Luis O. Alexis B. Week 2 Juan Carlos D. Valeria T. Ignacio O. Edgar G. Anakaren D. Romina C. Andrea Z. Montserrat M. Montserrat G. Mariana G. Amin M. Alejandra O. Andrea V. Rubi R.

19 Age Occupation 21 21 19 20 20 23 23 20 21 24 23 24 23

Student Student Student Student Student Employed Student Student Student Student Employed Student Student

23 19 23 23 23 23 22 23 23 22 22 22 18 21

Graduate Student Student Employed Employed Graduate Student Student Student Student Student Student Student Engineer

spend on social media via screenshots and share them with the researchers. Afterward, they were asked to spend 5  days without using social media such as Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and TikTok, excluding WhatsApp and YouTube. The participants were also asked not to use the platforms on any type of personal device (e.g., tablet, smartphone, computer, etc.) or other people’s devices. Throughout the 5-day period, they had the responsibility to write every day about their thoughts, actions, behaviors, wishes, and symptoms via the Google Docs file titled “Diary Technique Template”. The participants were asked to be honest about not using social media. There was no measure to guarantee that the participants did not use their social media throughout the week, only through honesty in their journal writings, honesty being defined as reporting whether they indeed used social media. At the end of the week, the participants must show proof of the time they spent on

20 Table 4.3 Participants: in-depth interviews

4  Methodology: Toward an Understanding of Social Media Addiction Participants Claudio C. Alda C. Luis O. Romina C. Rubi R. Carolina D. Melissa G. Paulina H. Ma. Fernanda E. Juan Carlos D. Valeria T. Rosa G. Anakaren D. Andrea Z. Mariana G.

Age 20 19 24 23 21 21 20 24 23 23 19 20 23 22 22

Occupation Student Student Student Graduate Engineer Student Student Student Employed Graduate Student Student Employed Student Student

social media during the week as a way to corroborate their non–social media use (via screenshots). Finally, 15 of the 27 participants were interviewed using a previously structured question format to follow up on their process and obtain further insights (see Table  4.3). This led the researchers to learn about their personality, experience, feelings, thoughts, and behaviors on social media platforms, whether they were good or bad. For the categorization of results, a psychiatrist at the Hospital Universitario of Nuevo León helped define psychopathology concepts as they are. To interpret the findings, all interviews were transcribed, which, along with the participants’ journals, resulted in 243 pages of text. The collected data were then analyzed using a three-stage coding process, a methodology used in many qualitative studies that helps classify the information and examine it using a comparative method through three steps—open coding, axial coding, and selective coding—with the researcher always staying neutral to all the participants’ declarations and comments (Chun Tie et al., 2019). This is shown in Fig. 4.1. The first stage, open coding, consists of interpreting, organizing, and analyzing data in terms of similarities and differences as well as assigning labels to the concepts. Hence, similar data will be grouped together to form main categories (Corbin & Strauss, 1990). The second stage is axial coding, in which categories are linked to new subcategories and the researcher keeps filtering and connecting conditions, contexts, and actions. Finally, the third stage, selective coding, involves linking all categories and subcategories found previously to a main or core category that the study focuses on (Corbin & Strauss, 1990). The aforementioned procedure intended to increase the validation of the results through triangulation. Particularly, triangulation between methods refers to the use of several data collection tools. Specifically, this qualitative research used focus groups, the diary method, and in-depth interviews (Benavides & Gómez-Restrepo,

4  Methodology: Toward an Understanding of Social Media Addiction

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Fig. 4.1  Three Stages of Coding (2014) Adapted of “Identifying the Evaluative Indicators of Regulatory Policies for the Development of Social Entrepreneurship” by Arasti Z. et  al., 2014, Business Media New York, p. 11

Fig. 4.2  Methodology for behaviors that define social media addiction in generation Z. (Source: Own Elaboration, 2021)

2005). It is well-known that one of the advantages of triangulation is that when two strategies hold extremely similar results, these may corroborate the findings. However, if the results are not similar, triangulation offers an opportunity to develop a wider perspective regarding the interpretation of the studied phenomenon. Furthermore, another strategy for improving the validity of the findings is triangulation between researchers, which means their personal biases can be significantly reduced. The data analysis process and the interpretation of results involved four researchers and the dissertation advisor. As shown in Fig. 4.2, the methodology for the study was synthesized according to each objective. The next section presents the results derived from this methodology process.

Chapter 5

Social Media Activities

Abstract  As social media has become part of Generation Z users, this chapter discusses eight main activities that this generation generally performs on these social networks. Such activities include (a) search for information, (b) inspiration, (c) communication, (d) entertainment, (e) community (f) belonging, and (g) reminders. Particularly, it offers an explanation and definition of such motivations and contributes to the literature by adding in the conversation of such topic. Keywords  Social media use · Social media activities · Generation Z Nowadays, social media is in its highest moment of growth for Generation Z; some of the most frequently utilized social media platforms are TikTok, Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook. During the study, the participants described how they adopted social media as part of their daily life routine. As a result, this study identified eight main activities that this generation generally performs on these social networks.

Search for Information The most common social media activity that this generation takes part in is the “search for information/information research,” which refers to being constantly informed of what happens all around the world, to their social circle, and to their surroundings. Social media has also been used for keeping constantly updated on entertainment and cultural matters such as the film industry, celebrities, sports, fashion, the economy, gastronomy, and labor opportunities. Here, the most often utilized social media platforms for these activities are Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram. One example is when Claudio mentioned that he uses social media, Twitter in particular, to be informed of what is happening around the world and in the city he lives in. Knowing what is happening around the world can be so easy and effortless; he also remains informed about distinct areas of interest:

© The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2023 T. B. Treviño Benavides et al., Social Media Addiction in Generation Z Consumers, SpringerBriefs in Business, https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-33452-8_5

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5  Social Media Activities Twitter is used for being informed of any news flashing around me. Twitter is more as sports news like the NBA, NFL from Mexico and other extreme areas such as politics and economy. (Claudio, Interview, 20)

The respondents also reported that they engage in this activity daily for the areas of interest they have more focus on and which they consider most important.

Inspiration Another common social media activity among Generation Z members is the pursuit of inspiration no matter their area of interest. This search for inspiration can include labor matters or academics or motivational issues. The participants discussed that some of the inspirational content they consume were exercise, cooking recipes, trending fashion topics, motivational phrases, and influencers. It is important to highlight that this type of content is generally consumed through the following social networks: TikTok, Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook. Andrea mentioned that she uses TikTok as a source of inspiration for her daily activities, such as cooking. And I use TikTok mainly for entertainment and a time of rest for the day, but at the same time, TikTok can also make you learn more and that is a cool additional feature, and it can make you inspire too, because as you scroll down you can see outfits or how to decorate your room (…). On TikTok, I can learn new recipes, so I see this social media more as a source of inspiration. (Andrea, Interview, 22)

Hence, the kind of content that this generation looks for when seeking inspiration has the purpose of generating new creative ideas for their personal use.

Communication Communication was also one of the most frequently conducted activities of the participants. They mentioned this specific topic and stated that Facebook and Instagram have been their daily platforms for communicating with friends and family. Some main features from social networking sites they utilize for communication are close friends, stories, direct messages, and photo or publication sharing on both apps. A clear example of this is Carolina, who commented that she likes to use Instagram to communicate with her friends. The greatest part is that it is a great way to be in constant contact with my friends and cousins, which are people I care the most. It is a great resource to know about other people which we cannot see in the present, and we cannot talk face-to-face. (Carolina, Interview, 21)

Generation Z uses Instagram to keep updated with their friends daily and be informed of what they do or where they are. They consider that liking a photograph of one of their friends is a way of keeping in contact with them or other people. For

Reminders

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example, Romina commented that Instagram provides the opportunity to keep in contact with one’s friends. From Instagram, most importantly, I like to see my friends on what they are doing or where they have gone. In some way, to be in constant communication with them. (Mariana, Interview, 22)

Entertainment The participants stated that they use social platforms such as TikTok and Instagram in their spare time to entertain themselves. Normally, the sections they consume on Instagram are reels and stories from actual influencers, artists, and gastronomy pages. Meanwhile, TikTok is only used in their free time and is generally consumed for comedy content. One of the main characteristics of Generation Z is their consumption of memes. The participants mentioned that one of the activities they engage in on Facebook is viewing and sharing memes with their friends and contacts since they find them humorous. An example of this is Paula, who uses Facebook to share memes: I like to share memes on Facebook. (Paula, F1, 22) And from TikTok, it is purely entertainment. When I am bored, or I want to have a laugh, I get into TikTok. (Anakaren, Interview, 23)

Community Belonging Another activity that Generation Z participates in is becoming part of a community on Facebook. Some of the groups they belong to help them solve some of their issues in any particular topic or theme. This allows them to meet other people with the same interests and expand their social circle more easily. I have sold some little stuff since then, marketplace from Facebook and Facebook groups helped me a lot. (Paula, F1, 21)

Reminders One of the greatest benefits to using Facebook is its reminders for someone’s birthday. These are sent through notifications sometime during the day and identify the individuals celebrating their birthday. Some participants mentioned that they use Facebook for the sole reason of knowing the birthdays of their friends or someone else so that they could greet them. Claudio is a significant example of this:

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These days I have been using Facebook, but only for a few seconds, Facebook is the means by which I see people having their birthday every day. (Claudio, D-day 3, 20)

Overall, the eight motivations to use social media by young users, can be summarized in the following table (Table 5.1). Table 5.1  Reasons for social media use Reason Search for information Inspiration Communication Entertainment Community belonging Reminders

Description Being constantly informed of what is happening around the world, to their social circle, and to their surroundings The pursuit of inspiration in different topics of interest, from labor and academic matters to motivation It is used as a way of communicating with friends and family and keeping up with their lives It tends to be used in their spare time to entertain themselves Trying to be part of a community by joining a group of common interests The user receives a notification and is thus reminded to greet someone or wish them well for a specific event

Source: Own elaboration (2021)

Chapter 6

Potential Causes of Social Media Addiction

Abstract  In this chapter discusses insights about the potential causes that may lead young users to develop social media addiction. Such potential causes are classified in three different topics: (1) psychopathology, (2) external factors, and (3) maladaptive cognitions. The causes identified in psychopathology, are narcissistic traits, obsessive thoughts, mental disorders, and personality traits. Other causes classified as external, may include family discomfort, lack of support from loved ones, and other contextual situations. Finally, causes related to maladaptive conditions include affinity impulse, curiosity impulse, validation impulse, contact comfort impulse, fear of missing out, dependence on smart devices, escape from reality, urge to share, notification anxiety, feeling included, and altruistic impulse. Overall, this chapter offers such identification of causes that may help identify users that are more propense in developing social media addiction. Keywords  Causes of social media addiction · Psychopathology of social media use · Users maladaptive cognitions Different factors may cause SMA to develop. These may belong to one of three different sections raised throughout this investigation: (1) psychopathology, (2) external factors, and (3) maladaptive cognitions (see Table 6.1).

Psychopathology Psychopathology is the study of abnormal psychic phenomena that a person may have for different reasons. It is important to mention that this concept is independent of social media even though it may contribute to the development of SMA.

© The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2023 T. B. Treviño Benavides et al., Social Media Addiction in Generation Z Consumers, SpringerBriefs in Business, https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-33452-8_6

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Table 6.1  Potential causes of social media addiction Potential causes of social media addiction Description Psychopathology Narcissistic traits Refers to a user’s desire for attention toward themselves seeking to increase their own ego and self-esteem Obsessive thoughts Can present anxiety, stress, frustration, or despair, becoming repetitive, causing negative feelings Mental disorders Diagnosed mental disorders (e.g., ADHD) Personality traits Users’ characteristics that involve their opinions and personality, as well as their perceptions of themselves External factors Family discomfort Having family problems or relationships that do not realize their full potential Lack of support from Lack of support arises from users making decisions or taking different loved ones actions and their loved ones only offering them negative feedback or comments about it Context situations Situations in the world that can affect individuals (e.g., COVID-19) Maladaptive cognitions Affinity impulse Characterized by the user’s desire to connect with old friends or maintain new friendships made within a virtual community or group Curiosity impulse Discovering and finding out which activities their friends or acquaintances were doing that day and also finding out about current events around the world that they considered important Validation impulse People seek to feed their own egos and grow their self-esteem by trying to be accepted by society Contact comfort and Feeling close to their loved ones, their social circles, and their immediacy impulse acquaintances. It is as if they desperately seek human contact on social media Fear of missing out Negative feelings when thinking about missing out on events that are happening on social media Dependence on smart Not being able to detach from smart devices devices Escape from reality The use of social media to escape problems in reality Urge to share The urgent desire to share the activities users carry out every day that they believe is important or relevant to share on social media Notification anxiety The accumulation of notifications can cause the user to be curious about using the platform and finding out what the notification is about Feeling included A way to fit into a place; if they see that others are carrying out an (being a part of activity, they will also do it with the aforementioned purpose something) Altruistic impulse The user is fully convinced that their presence within the platforms is changing the world or is part of something important Source: Own elaboration (2021)

Psychopathology

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Narcissistic Traits The first potential cause of psychopathology that this study found is narcissistic traits, which refer to the personality characteristics of a narcissistic person. However, this does not mean the user has narcissism but rather that they have traits of this type of personality, which can pertain to a user’s desire for attention toward themselves to increase their own ego; they also tend to be envious and seek excessive admiration from other people. An example of this can be Rosa, who admitted to liking attention from others. When they pay you attention is what I like, I like to have the attention of my friends and people I know. (Rosa, Interview, 20)

Obsessive Thoughts Another category found was obsessive thoughts. This type of thoughts arises under circumstances that occur in the user’s daily life, which can cause anxiety, stress, frustration, or despair and become repetitive, causing negative feelings, which are “calmed down” by social media use. An example can be the user’s need for their notifications to end on 5 or 0 since not having it that way may cause them stress. Notifications are starting to accumulate in each application and it is something that is starting to cause me [an internal] conflict. I like that on my home screen there are no red badges of notifications or if there are, at least be numbers ending in 5 or 0. But there is a part of me that wants to open the applications just to read the notifications and they are no longer on my home screen. (Rosa, D-day 2, 20)

It was observed that other obsessive thoughts, such as depression and anxiety, were caused by the pandemic. Anxiety was a frequently mentioned obsessive thought that started before the addiction and was calmed by the same addiction. Also, it was found that one of the participants suffered from an eating disorder, and another one had anxiety attacks due to stress.

Mental Disorders Mental disorders can also be considered as a potential factor in the development of SMA. An example is 19-year-old Valeria, who suffers from attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and who, during the journal technique, could not refrain from using her social networks to unburden herself. However, she managed to finish the challenge.

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6  Potential Causes of Social Media Addiction In other words, for attention deficit. Okay, so I can focus, but I take the pill every day. (Valeria, Interview, 19) I know I didn’t accomplish the challenge today but I’ll do my best in the remaining days. (Valeria, D-day 1, 19)

Personality Traits Personality traits were the most often mentioned category of psychopathology. This includes some users’ characteristics that involve their opinions and personality and can include their perceptions of themselves. On the one hand, these thoughts pertain to low self-esteem or insecurity, which affects the way they feel on social media; on the other hand, users constantly think about what their followers are going to think of them or the content they upload. Carolina and Mariana are clear examples of these situations: Sometimes it happens to me, I compare myself without wanting to [on Instagram]. I’m not saying I am less [valuable] or anything, but automatically I know that … it’s unconscious. It is not like I say that I am not worth it and she is, it is simply that it is unconscious that some insecurity that I didn’t know I had, is when I notice I do. (Carolina, Interview, 21) Before doing the challenge I felt the need to upload things [to TikTok] because I started to have a lot of followers on TikTok…those five days made my views go down. (Mariana G, Interview, 22)

The interviews helped emphasize that it was a common trait to have low self-esteem. One of the participants even underwent therapy because of her need to address her personality traits.

External Causes The second category of potential causes is external factors, which define the situations that occur around an individual, but these circumstances can significantly affect the user and therefore potentially cause SMA. The two external factors found were family discomfort and lack of support from loved ones.

Family Discomfort Family discomfort can be defined as having frequent family problems or relationships that do not realize their full potential. Some participants tended to fight often with their family members and end up spending the least possible time at home or not wanting to be home. Since the pandemic, some have been “forced” to be home,

Maladaptive Cognitions

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which could be a potential cause of their addiction. For example, Amin tried to avoid his family and family reunions. I woke up very early because today I didn’t want to go with my parents out of town so I invented some appointments to make enough time for them to leave without me. Also I went to a fake meeting, which I had but it was not necessary. Then I was driving around in the car and I stopped at a friend’s house to make extra time. When I returned home, I was surprised that they waited for me. (Amin, D-day 5, 22)

Lack of Support from Loved Ones The last potential cause is the lack of support from loved ones, including partners, friends, and family members. Many participants claimed to suffer from this when trying to be away from social media. This lack of support arises from users making decisions or taking different actions and their loved ones only offering them negative feedback or comments about it. She [one friend] was the only one who gave me a “support” posture, but not really the others [other friends and family]. (Mariana G, Interview, 22) My girlfriend laughed at me …he said good luck [sarcastically]. (Claudio, Interview, 20, talking about how his partner was not supportive when he did the diary technique) There wasn’t as much support [from family], they just didn’t understand why I was doing it and made fun of me. (Romina, Interview, 23)

Context Situations This refers to the fact that there may be situations in the world that can affect individuals. In this case, the COVID-19 pandemic has directly and indirectly affected the participants; some suggested that they would not be on social networks if the pandemic did not happen. Now during the pandemic, of course you are at home all the time and you spend more time on the smartphone. (Rosa, Interview, 20) I know, I thought before the pandemic I used much less social media. I just checked my WhatsApp in class and so I don’t usually take out my phone. Just suddenly something interesting would happen to me, and then I would publish it. (Melissa, Interview, 20)

Maladaptive Cognitions The third category of potential causes is maladaptive cognitions, which focus on defining the specific thoughts and feelings emerging in a person’s mind, causing the need to engage in social networks and perform a specific activity. This is caused by

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a possible psychopathology and/or some external factors. Among the possible maladaptive cognitions of young members of Generation Z, the following were found.

Affinity Impulse As other authors have already mentioned, the affinity impulse is characterized by the user’s desire to connect with old friends or maintain new friendships fostered within a virtual community or group. I am in a group of succulents because I have many succulents and I always have a notification from someone who posted in that group and I go to see it, that’s law. (Mariana G, Interview, 22)

Curiosity Impulse Another finding was the curiosity of young people to know what activities their friends or acquaintances were doing that day and to find out about the current events around the world that they considered important. I don’t know, something that went viral, something funny and I couldn’t see it or didn’t find out and I wasn’t updated with the news of Facebook or Instagram of what happened, it was only the curiosity to know what was happening. (Luis, Interview, 24)

Validation Impulse The participants sought to feed their own egos and grow their self-esteem by trying to be accepted by society, both inside the platform and outside it. When I went to my friend’s house, I wanted to check social networks only when the others used their phones. (Montserrat M, D-day 2, 23)

Contact Comfort and Immediacy Impulse This pertains to young people’s instinctive impulse to feel close to their loved ones, their social circles, and their acquaintances. It is as if they desperately seek human contact on social media. I missed that opportunity to have a small talk with people you don’t see every day and more now. All of that is born from a photo or publication that someone else shared, all that kind of thing maintains a communication that makes you feel, let’s say, close. (Romina, Interview, 23)

Maladaptive Cognitions

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I missed those updates that I might not have had on WhatsApp with my friends, but they make me feel closer to them. (Paulina, Interview, 24)

Fear of Missing Out As other authors have defined, this cause of SMA is mainly focused on the emergence of negative feelings when thinking about missing events that are happening on social media. I felt that people posted something important, but at the same time I knew nothing was happening. Then on Friday I had coffee with a friend, and told her I haven’t seen anything on social media, and she told me that I shouldn’t worry because nothing important was happening. (Melissa, Interview, 20)

Dependence on Smart Devices This is based on the idea that people are not able to detach themselves from smart devices, and, as a result, they use these devices to connect to social media platforms, which in turn causes SMA. I realized that I involuntarily turn to see my cell phone the moment I stop talking or when I’m in a queue, not necessarily unlocking it, just turning to see it as if a notification had come to me. (Alejandra, D-day 1, 22)

Escape from Reality This refers to the user making use of social media to escape from their problems in real life, or real things that they are going through but do not want to deal with at the moment. The truth is that I missed social networks for a moment since they relax me in the sense that they distract me for a moment and then I can continue my pending tasks. (Alexis, D-day 2, 23)

Urge to Share This pertains to the urgent desire to share the activities that the user engages in every day that they believe are important or relevant to share on social media. I got up at 7:30 a.m. to exercise, and again I had the instinct to share it on the networks, but I held back. (Igancio, D-day 2, 23)

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Notification Anxiety A person can have social media accounts, use them, and not be addicted; however, the constant appearance of notifications and their accumulation can cause the user to be anxious and find out what the notification is about. I am very anxious about the red badges of notifications. (Anakaren, D-day 1, 23)

Feeling Included (or Being a Part of Something) Users felt the need to belong to a group even if its members do not share similar topics of interest, which means that the use of social media among the participants is a way to fit into a place where, if they see that others carry out an activity, they will also do so with the aforementioned purpose. For example, a similar situation happened to 21-year-old Twitter user Ruby. It was a bundle of things that was happening there, and well, I wanted to be part of that, like seeing, commenting, being in tune with that. (Ruby, Interview, 21)

Altruistic Impulse Finally, altruistic impulse is based on the idea that the user is completely convinced that their presence on the platforms is changing the world or is part of something important. For example, the last two days that was Women’s Day on March 9. It was like to really update myself to see what is happening and what I can do about it. (Rosa, Interview, 21)

Chapter 7

Possible Outcomes and Consequences of Addiction

Abstract  The following chapter addresses the aftermath of social media addiction, by presenting possible outcomes and consequences of such behavior. Particularly, the chapter contributes to the literature by presenting the factors that may affect Generation Z users after developing an addiction to social media. Results from studying participants show that some consequences of social media addiction may include dependence of smart devices, lack of productivity, developing negative feelings and low self-esteem, lack of social interaction, obsessive thoughts, lack of rest and waste of time. Keywords  Social media addiction · Social media addiction consequences · Negative outcomes of social media addiction

Dependence on Smart Devices Dependence on smart devices is a possible outcome of SMA. Users feel the need to hold their phone or have it by their side throughout the day. Similarly, users unconsciously pick up their phones and engage in social media all day. An example of this is Ignacio, who grabs his cell phone by instinct. I was in class and working until 7:30 p.m. and during all that time there were moments that instinctively grabbed the cell phone to see my social media. (Ignacio, Interview, 23)

Lack of Productivity in Daily Life Routines During the journal technique, many participants claimed that their productivity increased drastically during the week when they did not use any social media platforms. Also, they began to notice that their professional and academic performance improved because of their productivity and concentration during the journaling © The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2023 T. B. Treviño Benavides et al., Social Media Addiction in Generation Z Consumers, SpringerBriefs in Business, https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-33452-8_7

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week. A situation that describes this category is Montserrat’s, when she mentioned that she felt more productive. I realized that I am more productive if I do not enter social networks. (Montserrat G, D-day 2, 23) My schedule stabilized a bit, I got used to not being watching social networks all the time, I was more productive and I focused more on the activities I was doing. (Martha, D-day 5, 23) I also felt very productive, attentive, and energetic especially during work and while reading, doing homework, and being on my meeting. (Andrea Z, D-day 1, 22)

Consequences for Academic or Professional Environment Another consequence revolves around the academic and professional environments. Addicts can experience unfavorable academic or professional developments because of social media. I felt relieved and more focused on my work, academic and personal life thanks to the challenge. (Carolina D, Interview, 21)

Negative Feelings Experiencing negative feelings is also a possible consequence of SMA. These feelings can include lack of motivation or changes in one’s mood. I found that I had more motivation to exercise, without feeling pressure or obligation to do so, so I enjoyed it more. (Andrea Z, D-day 2, 22)

Low Self-Esteem Due to Comparison The participants claimed that they tend to compare themselves with the users they follow on social media because of the content they are watching. Sometimes they see people with perfect lives who go on trips, attend certain events, or have a certain brand of clothing. As a consequence of this constant comparison, they develop low self-esteem. Yes, I think that the typical ones that make me feel bad are the mega beautiful girls and obviously perfect bodies, with wonderful lives and very big houses. That is when I say I want that too. (Anakaren, Interview, 23)

Waste of Time

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Lack of Connectivity and Social Interaction Another possible consequence of SMA is being isolated, disconnected from reality, or estranged. Some participants said that before the no-social-media week, they felt more disconnected, which caused the lack of quality time with their families. This was Andrea’s situation when she realized that her time on social media could be spent with her loved ones instead. Not being glued to my cell phone allows me to communicate more with the people around me. (Andrea V, D-day 1, 18) I feel somewhat disconnected and I think it is because of social media. (Rosa Garza, D-day 4, 20)

Obsessive Thoughts Another possible consequence of SMA for users is obsessive thoughts, including anxiety and stress. There are several reasons why users can become anxious or stressed. For example, they can feel anxious when they do not receive notifications. They also experience social anxiety when they feel pressured to do certain things in their life. This is the case for Melissa, who suggested that she had not experienced anxiety attacks since starting meditation during the spare time she usually spent on social media. I am a person susceptible to anxiety attacks caused by stress…and this week I have not felt that, since I have taken my time to meditate. (Melissa G, D-day 4, 20)

Lack of Rest SMA can possibly deprive the user of rest, sleep, or energy, which is what some participants claimed during the journal technique. Leaving that class I continued working with the morning’s homework and then at around 3:00 p.m. I tried to take a nap but I couldn’t, when the clock hit 4, I had my next class. (Alda, D-day 1, 19)

Waste of Time Users with SMA may tend to waste a lot of time on social media. This causes addicts not to finish their to-dos from school or work or to finish them later than they had planned. In the same way, wasting time on social media makes them forget

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everything they have to do for the day, such as exercising, spending time with themselves, or even eating. Instead of catching up on my work, I was spending time, even eating. I waste a lot of time looking at the contents of each of my accounts. (Stephanie, D-day 1, 21). Overall, a comprehensive summary of the possible outcomes and consequences of SMA can be found on the following table (Table 7.1). Table 7.1  Possible outcomes and consequences of SMA Possible outcomes and consequences Dependence on smart devices Lack of productivity in daily life routines Consequences for academic or professional environment Negative feelings Low self-esteem due to comparison Lack of connectivity and social interaction Obsessive thoughts Lack of rest Waste of time Source: Own elaboration (2021)

Description The need to hold their phone all day or have it by their side throughout the day Users’ productivity decreases drastically when social media platforms are used Unfavorable academic or professional development because of social media These feelings can include lack of motivation or changes in one’s mood Users compare themselves with users they follow on social media because of the content they are watching Being isolated, disconnected from reality, or estranged Users having obsessive thoughts, such as anxiety and stress Users can lack rest, sleep, or energy Users waste a lot of time on social media, which can cause them to forget everything they have to do for the day

Chapter 8

Understanding Generation Z and Social Media Addiction

Abstract  This chapter addresses young users that are part of the Generation Z, as well as their behaviors around the pathological use of social media. The research found that from the 260 participants that concluded the BSMAS test, 72% were potential addicts who used their phones for an average of four to 5 h per day. Further, it explains some personality traits that may be enhanced by social media use, such as narcissism, where they dive into social media to look for comments that increase their ego and make them feel special. Additionally, the chapter explores examples of how maladaptive cognitions and other external factors may ultimately lead to addiction. With this, the chapter contributes to the literature by proposing a model that explains the process that a Generation Z user may follow to develop a social media addiction, and the components that this process have. Keywords  Generation Z and social media use · Social media addiction model This research aimed to explore and understand the behaviors surrounding the pathological use of social media among members of Generation Z from Monterrey, Mexico. Since Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and the new trending app TikTok have been increasing their users during the past year, these platforms were the ones considered for this study. The findings are explained in more detail below and compared with the literature. It is important to mention the context of the current situation; because of the COVID-19 pandemic, the participants commented that their social media use increased, but if the pandemic had not happened, they would not be as active on social media as they are now.

Social Media as Part of Generation Z The fieldwork included 260 BSMAS tests, of which 200 belonged to members of Generation Z living in Monterrey. About 72% were potential addicts who used their phones for an average of 4–5 h per day. According to Sheldon (2008) and LaRose et al. (2010), young adults have adopted social media platforms, such as Facebook, © The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2023 T. B. Treviño Benavides et al., Social Media Addiction in Generation Z Consumers, SpringerBriefs in Business, https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-33452-8_8

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into their routine and as part of their daily activities; in fact, Generation Z included social networks in their morning or evening routines in their descriptions of their usual activities during the day. It has also been found that youngsters want no interruptions when using their social media (Sheldon et al., 2019), and in this study, the researchers found that the reason that the participants used their phones when they woke up was because they were not interrupted. Also, they use their phones before they go to sleep when they are lying in bed, which is another situation where they will not be interrupted during their phone use. While studies have found that Facebook can be used for chatting, sending messages, creating events, staying informed about people, and sharing photos and videos (Moll & Odriozola, 2014; Sheldon, 2008), this study found that the participants used Facebook to look up information about brands or restaurants, communicate with old friends, obtain reminders for birthdays, belong to a community, and especially share memes. Even though Facebook is said to be more popular statistically, in this research 100% of the participants have used Instagram, which is the most frequently used social network for most of them. They use it for different purposes such as keeping up with friends, which involves receiving information from friends and sharing their personal information to connect with other people, especially through Instagram and Facebook. Through the years, the literature has found several extremely common reasons to use social media, which are to share information (Moll & Odriozola, 2014; Sheldon, 2008; Vitelar, 2019; Allagui et al., 2016), to communicate and be connected (Moll & Odriozola, 2014; LaRose et al., 2010; Allagui et al., 2016), to see what friends are doing (Sheldon, 2008), to update one’s feed (Vitelar, 2019), and to be entertained (Leung, 2013; Moll & Odriozola, 2014). This study also found that Generation Z tend to use social media to make themselves more visible in their social environment by engaging in activities such as updating their feeds, uploading pictures and stories, and having close friends and sharing with them. They also like sharing with others and communicating with close and not-so-close friends or people they know. There are other activities that the participants performed to receive affection, such as seeking to connect with their friends and talk with them to maintain their relationships and even updating their profiles and feeds. This study also found that when the participants were looking for entertainment and having fun, they used social media such as TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter for entertainment in different ways. It has been stated that Generation Z is a highly visual generation that likes to share fun and dynamic content (Allagui et al., 2016); this research found they now tend to post dynamic content on Instagram using the close friends feature. The researchers mentioned how Generation Z has an inclination toward icons, images, symbols, and visual content, and this study found that they consume social media for entertainment such as memes, blogs, influencers, short videos, and inspiration via images and videos on personal interest topics.

External Factors

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Psychopathology As mentioned in the results, users may present traits of a narcissistic personality; this does not mean they are narcissistic, but they can be. Consistent with Leung (2013), these people enter social media to look for comments that increase their ego and make them feel they are the center of attention because these make them feel good. Even though the author mentioned that this frequently happened on Facebook, the present study found that this phenomenon happens more often on Instagram. As Villafuerte Zorrilla (2019) and Davis (2001) found, those with SMA may experience depression, anxiety, isolation, and even substance dependence. The study findings prove that they do indeed experience these. However, some participants claimed to present these types of psychiatric symptoms for other reasons that are not social networks, which lead one to think that the aforementioned obsessive thoughts can lead to SMA in an attempt to stop those thoughts. Mental disorders are part of this category because although it has not been mentioned in the literature, the present study found that a mental disorder may facilitate SMA in the user, which is why it is important to keep examining this link. It was also found that excessive social media use may be due to the personality traits of the participants; this is part of psychopathology because it is the image that users have of themselves, and there is an image that they want to portray to their followers, friends, and other online users through the contents they share and post, as Vitelar (2019) argued. It is as if they wanted to create a new self because they do not enjoy their current one.

External Factors Davis (2001) mentioned that a possible cause of GPIU is the lack of support from loved ones. The study agrees with the author’s statements as some participants mentioned that they experience lack of support from their family, friends, and partners. This can be considered an external factor because users tend to receive negative comments; therefore, it affects their self-esteem, and they will seek to increase it on social media with photos, stories, and publications. Another cause that coincides with the literature is family discomfort. According to Villafuerte Zorrilla (2019), family problems can generate the behaviors of a possible addict, such as low impulse control, low self-esteem, and the feeling of loneliness and forgetfulness. In the research, the participants mentioned that they frequently fight with their relatives and do not want to be at home because they do not want to be with them. However, they feel compelled to be home because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

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Maladaptive Cognitions As mentioned before, users enter social media through several maladaptive cognitions. Among these are the six impulses discussed by Tuten and Solomon (2017). Consistent with these authors, this study found that users engage in social media to connect with old friends, feel close to their loved ones, find out about events around the world that they consider important, grow their self-esteem by being accepted by society, and feel that they are part of something important through social media. Nevertheless, study results show more maladaptive cognitions never before seen in the literature, such as the urge to share on social media, where users feel the need to post their daily activities. Particularly, the results show that this urge is expressed on Instagram via users’ close friends list. Another interesting maladaptive cognition found in the results is that users like to feel included; to be part of something, the participants feel the need to belong to a group and fit in through social media. Also, there is a tendency among social media users to escape their problems in real life; users exhibit a dependence on smart devices, where they are not able to detach from their mobile phones or other devices to connect to their social media, which causes SMA; and finally, users also suffer from anxiety from notifications. When notifications appear on their cell phones and start to accumulate, users feel the need to use social media and find out what the notification is about. This may be the result of positive operant conditioning from social networks taking place in the user. Also, Andreassen and Pallesen (2014) found that users cannot control the impulse to log on to their social media and use it; the results showed that users sometimes do not notice that they have entered their platforms. Another one is the FOMO mentioned by various authors (Buglass et al., 2017; Oberst et al., 2017); consistent with the literature, this study’s participants do not want to miss out on what their friends are doing, which they can find out through social media. This may lead users to develop SMA.

Outcomes and Consequences Longstreet and Brooks (2017) argued that there is a dependence on technology, mainly smart devices, among college students in the United States. In the research, the participants mentioned that during the day, they feel the need to have their cell phones with them or near them, which leads them to constantly check their social media even when they do not receive notifications, creating a distraction from their activities. Hou et al. (2019) stated that one of the consequences of addiction to social networks is low academic performance. In this research, the participants mentioned that by not using social media during classes and work hours, they focused more on their activities, which led them to be more productive in the activities they performed during the day. This realization was possible because of the no-social-media challenge that the participants took part in.

Toward an Understanding of the Behaviors of Social Media Addiction

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Also, Hou et al. (2019) identified another consequence of using social networks, which is the development of depression, insomnia, life satisfaction, and others, mainly affecting people’s mental health. In this study, the participants reported changes in their mood as well as low self-esteem because of the content they consume on social networks, as it is extremely common for them to compare themselves with the people they follow and to wish to have a “perfect” life like the one they share on social networks. The research also found that another consequence of the excessive use of social networks is the lack of connectivity and socialization with other people. The participants mentioned that when they stopped using social media, they felt more connected to their loved ones. Another consequence was obsessive thoughts; according to Longstreet and Brooks (2017), a possible addiction to social networks affects the emotional state of people. The participants reported presenting stress and anxiety caused by social pressure and having no notifications. Also, they mentioned that they slept better during the week of the diary technique, which is why it is perceived that with social media, they tended to rest less. Finally, a highly frequent consequence involves users wasting time on social media.

 oward an Understanding of the Behaviors of Social T Media Addiction Based on the cognitive–behavioral model by Davis (2001) and the results of this research, a new model (Fig. 8.1) is proposed that seeks to understand the process of the possibility of developing SMA. The model (Fig. 8.1) proposes that a possible addiction to social media arises from an external factor and/or the psychopathology of the user. Although these concepts can work together, it is also necessary to mention that they are independent of each other; that is, only one of them is needed to start the development process of a possible SMA.  On the one hand, it could be just one or several external factors, including family discomfort, lack of support by loved ones, or context situations. On the other hand, it could be several or just one aspect of the psychopathology of the person experiencing this, such as mental disorders and personality traits. Through the specific use of social networks, that is, carrying out different activities such as the search for information, inspiration, entertainment, communication, and others, they will become a need or routine, and the user could experience positive operant conditioning, which will promote different irrational ideas accompanied by feelings that the user wants to satisfy with their constant use of social networks for certain activities, which then satisfy certain maladaptive cognitions. This is why more than one maladaptive cognition could be present in the user. Consequently, the repetition of this process will cause SMA, and therefore, the user will suffer different consequences that will affect their life and possibly those around them.

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8  Understanding Generation Z and Social Media Addiction

Fig. 8.1  Process of the possibility of developing a social media addiction. (Own Elaboration (2021) based on The Cognitive-Behavioral Model by Davis (2001))

An example of how the SMA process works according to the model can be a user experiencing family problems (external factors). This user, when making use of social networks and performing different activities, such as uploading stories to their Instagram (social media activities), will begin to receive many comments from their friends or followers and obtain many likes (positive operant conditioning). This way, the user will develop the irrational thought that they do not belong anywhere but on the Internet because it is the only place where they feel comfortable (maladaptive cognitions). For this same reason, they will constantly return to eliminate those thoughts that arise at that moment, and finally, they will stop paying attention in their school classes and lose a lot of time to social media. This is how they will develop an obsession with its use (SMA behaviors), and therefore, they will stop being productive and their grades and academic performance will decrease (outcomes and consequences).

Chapter 9

Conclusions on Social Media Addiction and Generation Z

Abstract  This chapter discusses the implications of social media addiction and makes sense of both the literature review and the empirical findings from the present research. In particular, the objective of this research was to explore the behaviors that can be found in SMA among Generation Z users. Therefore, this study contributes to the literature by shedding light on (a) the activities of Generation Z on social media, (b) the potential factors that influence SMA, and (c) the possible outcomes and consequences of addictive social media use. Additionally, this research proposes a model that explains how a user can develop SMA. Managerial and practical implications are discussed, as well as limitations from the present research are analyzed. Keywords  Social media addiction activities · SMA factors · SMA consequences We can conclude that Generation Z has made social media part of their lives by engaging in different activities. This generation cares a lot about how they look on these platforms and about what other users think of them, and they are constantly trying to reinforce the personality brand that they themselves made. It is as if they are trying to create a desired personality on social media. Nevertheless, these “lives” they create are provoking negative feelings among other users, triggering the impulse to compare themselves online and constantly finding ways to increase their self-esteem in different ways using social media. This may bring repercussions to their mental health in the future, which is why it is of great importance to keep studying this phenomenon, which is occurring in this impressionable generation. The objective of this research was to explore the behaviors that can be found in SMA among Generation Z users. Particularly, this study contributes to the literature by shedding light on (a) the activities of Generation Z on social media, (b) the potential factors that influence SMA, and (c) the possible outcomes and consequences of addictive social media use. Additionally, this research proposes a model (Fig. 8.1) that explains how a user can develop SMA. The managerial and practical implications consider each study objective to help different researchers. The first objective is to help entities that want to know more © The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2023 T. B. Treviño Benavides et al., Social Media Addiction in Generation Z Consumers, SpringerBriefs in Business, https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-33452-8_9

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9  Conclusions on Social Media Addiction and Generation Z

about the behavior of Generation Z and their activities on social media. Particularly, associations or companies that wish to address and foster the responsible use of social media can develop more informed awareness communication strategies. The second and third objectives are to raise user awareness and acknowledge that the pathological use of social media can cause negative consequences in their lives. Finally, the results obtained in this research also advance the literature on the topic and can be of great help to future researchers because it has not been possible to reach a conclusion on this subject. Since this research had an exploratory purpose, it should be emphasized that there may be many more behaviors and consequences than are known at the moment. Also, it is worth mentioning that although the objectives do not cover the symptoms, this factor is an important and fundamental part of the behaviors of a possible social network addict, and it is therefore crucial to study them. The main limitation of this research was the COVID-19 pandemic, which has increased the time that people spend on their smartphones worldwide, and it could have affected this type of addiction. Another limitation involves trusting that the participants would tell the truth during the fieldwork: the diary technique, interviews, and focus groups. Although another limitation was the participants’ lack of honesty in the focus groups due to the threat of feeling judged by others, the triangulation of methods helps evaluate whether the things they said in the focus groups match with what was experienced by the participants of the diary techniques, which was also verified via in-depth interviews. If the present researchers had more time, they would have performed a comparison between addicts and nonaddicts as well as cultures between every cited study and even developed a new objective focusing on exploring the symptoms of SMA. Finally, this research studied the phenomenon from a consumer behavior perspective to better understand a consumer segment in terms of their social media use; therefore, the results are not intended to be interpreted as psychological evaluations or theories but rather a description of such a segment. Future studies could examine the withdrawal effect when social media is taken away for extended periods to further investigate how this can affect users’ lives. Another interesting research opportunity would be to investigate and compare the feelings and attitudes of possible addicts and nonaddicts via the journaling technique when they are not allowed to consume social media. Also, scholars may investigate how different kinds of content that can contribute to a possible addiction can be useful for further studies. Finally, when the pandemic is over, researchers may study and compare SMA among Generation Z before and after COVID-19.

Glossary

Affinity impulse  is characterized by the user’s desire to connect with old friends or maintain new friendships made within a virtual community or group. Altruistic impulse  the idea that the user is totally convinced that their presence within the platforms is changing the world or is part of something important. Anxiety  Fear, uneasiness or obsessive thoughts that may cause physical reactions such as sweat, heart rate increase, tension, among others. Bergen Social Media Addiction Scale (BSMAS)  is a tool that assesses the risk of suffering or developing a SMA. Cognitive-Behavioral Model of PIU  explains that some internet users may be vulnerable to develop maladaptive cognitions. Contact comfort and immediacy impulse  Feel close to their loved ones, their social circle and their acquaintances. It is as if they desperately seek human contact on social media. Curiosity impulse to discover and find out which activities their friends or acquaintances were doing that day and also to find out about current events that they considered important around the world. Dependence on smart devices  The use of smart devices frequently and sometimes in an uncontrollable manner, in a way that the person may not feel calm if the device is not available. Depression  A major mental illness that affects how the person feels, thinks, or acts. Depression may lead to feelings of sadness, loss of interest, and may affect many other behaviors. Fear of Missing Out (FOMO)  A pervasive apprehension that others might be having rewarding experiences from which one is absent” the emergence of negative feelings when thinking about missing events that are happening on social media. Generalized Pathological Internet Use (GPIU) concerns the overuse of the Internet, meaning, wasting time online without any specific objective.

© The Editor(s) (if applicable) and The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2023 T. B. Treviño Benavides et al., Social Media Addiction in Generation Z Consumers, SpringerBriefs in Business, https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-33452-8

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Glossary

Internet Addiction  which has been defined as the lack of capacity to control one’s use of the Internet and leading it to negative consequences. This is focused on how the signs and symptoms are similar to substance or gambling disorders that have been considered addiction. Isolation  The state of feeling alone, or away from family or friends. Maladaptive cognitions  refers to a false belief, also called irrational belief defining the specific thoughts and feelings that emerged in a person’s mind causing the need to enter social networks and do a determined activity. Narcissism Personality type that involves the feeling of entitlement, a lack of empathy, and a need for admiration. Pathological internet use (PIU)  is also known as a maladaptive pattern of Internet use that leads to clinically significant impairment or distress Personal utility impulse  Refers to a constant rumination (repetition of thoughts) of the benefits that users will receive from being involved on social media. Psychopathology  is considered as the study of abnormal psychic phenomena that a person may have for different reasons. Social anxiety  a long-term and overwhelming fear of social situations. It can affect everyday activities, self confidence, relationships and work or school life. Specific Pathological Internet Use (SPIU)  focuses on specific content, involving just one unique aspect of the Internet that exists independently of multiple Internet functions, for example online pornography. Validation Impulse  people seek to feed their own ego and grow their self-­esteem by trying to be accepted by society, both inside the platform and offline.

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