The Mediating Role of Mukbang in the Association between Loneliness and Smartphone Addiction in Emerging Adulthood

Aim: The purpose of this study is to examine the mediating role of Mukbang viewing behavior in the relationship between loneliness and smartphone addiction in individuals in the emerging adulthood period. Recently, an important field of study has emerged due to the effects of loneliness on behaviors in technological environments and the examination of Mukbang videos on the mental health of individuals. In this context, the aim of this study is to examine smartphone addiction by exhibiting Mukbang viewing behavior in those experiencing loneliness. Method: In this study conducted with 401 participants, 280 females (69.8%) and 121 males (30.2%), the average age of the participants is 24.443 years (age range = 18-26, SD = 1.682). Within the scope of the study, data were collected from the participants face-to-face using the UCLA Loneliness Scale, Smartphone Addiction Scale, and Mukbang Addiction Scale. Conditional process analysis was performed using the SPSS PROCESS macro plugin in the analysis of the data. Additionally, the statistical significance of the mediating variable was examined using the bootstrapping method. Results: Correlation results indicated that there was a significant and positive relationship between all variables. Findings from the conditional process analysis suggest that Mukbang serves as a partial mediator in the connection between loneliness and smartphone addiction. Conclusion: The study reveals that Mukbang videos are used as a tool to cope with the feeling of loneliness of individuals and that this situation triggers smartphone addiction. The results demonstrate that intervention programs for conscious media use should be developed for individuals with high feelings of loneliness.