Psychological Loneliness Under Intensive Social Media Use: A Field Study on Students of the Faculty of Education, Bani Waleed University

Abstract

This study aimed to investigate the relationship between intensive social media use and psychological loneliness among students of the Faculty of Education in Bani Walid, Libya. It also sought to identify the level of intensive social media use, the level of psychological loneliness, and the differences in the study variables according to selected demographic characteristics. The study adopted the descriptive correlational approach, and a questionnaire was used as the primary instrument for data collection from a sample of students enrolled at the Faculty of Education in Bani Walid. Based on the hypothetical results presented for this study, the findings indicated that the level of intensive social media use was high, whereas the level of psychological loneliness was moderate with a tendency toward a high level. The results also revealed a statistically significant positive correlation between intensive social media use and psychological loneliness, indicating that increased social media use was associated with higher levels of psychological loneliness among university students. Furthermore, intensive social media use showed a moderate predictive effect on psychological loneliness, while other factors also contributed to explaining this phenomenon. The study concluded that promoting balanced social media use, strengthening university psychological counseling services, and encouraging students to participate in social, cultural, and extracurricular activities may contribute to improving psychological well-being, enhancing social integration, and reducing feelings of psychological loneliness among university students.