SOCIAL MEDIA DISTRACTION AND TECHNO-STRESS AS PREDICTORS OF SOCIAL INCIVILITY AMONG UNIVERSITY STUDENTS IN PAKISTAN

Abstract

The current research analysed the correlation between social media distraction, techno-stress, and social incivility amongst university students in Pakistan. As the use of technology in the day-to-day life continues to increase, social and academic behavior of students are being influenced more and more by the digital interactions. The sample size used was 343 students of the university, gathered using a structured questionnaire on the basis of the quantitative correlational design. Pearson correlation analysis indicated that, social media distraction results in significant positive correlation with social incivility r =.61 and techno-stress and social incivility r =.57. The results of multiple regression analysis revealed that social media distraction, techno-stress had a significant predictive ability on social incivility, thus explaining 42% of R2 = 42. The results indicate that the excessive application of digital formats increases stress rates and has a negative impact on the development of uncivil behaviors among college students. The analysis highlights the importance of institutional measures that facilitate the promotion of online and academic interactions through digital well-being, emotions regulation, and respect. These findings add to the emerging knowledge of psychosocial effects of technology application to the process of higher education in the Pakistani setting.