Shwetha R. and M. Ramya Maheswari
Ethiraj College for Women, Chennai
Research studies have shown that self-identity has the strongest association with
excessive use and addiction to social networking sites among adolescents (Ho, Lwin
and Lee, 2017) and that severity of self-identity confusion was positively associated
with the severity of internet addiction in college students (Hsieh, Hsiao, Yang, Leeand
Yen, 2019). It is known that processes related to the formation and development of
self-esteem determine the perimeters of the relationship between the adolescent and
the surrounding world (Minev, Petrova, Mineva, Petkova, and Strebkova, 2018). Hence
the present study aimed to evaluate and test the research question “Does ego-identity
predict extent of social networking addiction (SNA)” and “Does self-esteem mediate
the relationship between SNA and ego-identity in adolescent boys and girls in the age
range of 13 to 16 years as these are the years during which adolescents explore their
world and choose values and goals that guide their future action. Expost facto research
design was used for the study. A sample of 300 school students (M=150; F=150) was
asked to complete three scales – i) Ego-identity Scale developed by Tan, Kendis, Fine,
and Porac (1977), ii) Self-esteem scale developed by Rosenberg, M. (1965) and iii)
Social Networking Addiction scale developed by Shahnawaz, Ganguli, Zou (2013). Data
was analysed using Pearson’s Product Moment Correlation, Multiple linear regression
analyses and Lambert’s Mediation model. Results indicated a significant and negative
correlation between ego-identity and SNA and a significant and positive correlation
between self-esteem and SNA The influence of ego-identity on SNA was partially
mediated by self–esteem