FACTORS AFFECTING SOCIAL MEDIA ADDICTION OF UNDERGRADUATE STUDENTS IN THE EASTERN REGION UNIVERSITY

Abstract

The objectives of this research were to 1) measure the level of online social media addiction, and 2) explore the factors affecting online social media addiction of undergraduate students in the eastern region of Thailand. This research is quantitative research. The sample group, which was selected from simple random sampling method, consisted of 375 undergraduate students from 5 universities located in the eastern region of Thailand. The research instrument was the 5-level gauge questionnaire. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics with statistical values, numbers, percentage, mean and standard deviation. The hypothesis testing was analyzed by examining the structural validity of the causal relationship model. The results showed that 1) The overall level of online social media addictive behavior of the undergraduate students in the eastern region of Thailand was ranked in addictive level, and 2) the variables affecting online social media addiction included subjective norm, perceived behavioral control of use, perceived enjoyment, attitude, and intention. From the analysis, it was found that the causal model was well-consistent with the empirical data. The chi-square (c²) was equivalent to 69.27 at the degrees of freedom (df) = 26. The relative chi-square (c²/df) was equivalent to 2.66. The goodness of fit index (GFI) was equivalent to .96. The adjusted goodness of fit index (AGFI) was equivalent to .92. The comparative fit index (CFI) was equivalent to .97. The standardized root mean residual (SRMR) was equivalent to .06. The root mean square error of approximation (RMSEA) was equivalent to .06, and all variables in the model were able to describe working effectiveness at 39 percent.