The Effects of Social Network Services Usage Motivations on Depression Among College Students: The Mediating Effects of Loneliness

This study was conducted to examine whether loneliness mediates the relationship between university students' motivations for using social network service and depression. For this, a survey was conducted among students at a university in Region M from September to November 2023, with a final sample of 456 responses analyzed using SPSS 26.0. The mediation effect was assessed through Baron and Kenny's three-step regression analysis. The main findings are as follows: First, social network services usage motivations among college students varied significantly based on gender, academic performance, and satisfaction with their major. Second, the motivation for reality avoidance during social network services use significantly impacted both loneliness and depression, whereas the motivation for interpersonal relationship formation significantly affected only loneliness. Third, loneliness was found to partially mediate the relationship between reality avoidance motivation during social network services use and depression. Specifically, the negative influence of reality avoidance motivation on social network services use was confirmed, indicating that this motivation increases loneliness, which in turn positively affects depression. Based on these findings, the study proposes differentiated interventions based on social network services usage motivations and strategies to reduce loneliness among college students.