Impact of Social Media Usage on Relationship Development among female college students: The Mediating role of trust

This paper delves into the impact of social media on the dynamic interplay between relationship development and trust in interpersonal interactions. It specifically examines how social media use influences the evolution of relationships and trust-related issues. Observing with caution the growing influence of social media in day-to-day living, the study seeks to uncover the usage of social media engagement in relation to trust and its implications for the development and outcomes of interpersonal relationships. To find answers to these questions, a non-experimental quantitative survey was conducted to reveal the relationships between social media usage, interpersonal trust, and relationship development and outcomes in female college students' interpersonal relationships. The results revealed a significant indirect effect of social media usage on relationship development through trust. The direct effect of social media usage on relationship development in the presence of the mediator was also found to be insignificant. Therefore, trust perfectly mediates the relationship between social media usage and relationship development. Additionally, correlation analysis found a positive correlation between social media usage, trust, and relationship development. Keywords: Social Media, Interpersonal Communication, Relationship Development, Interpersonal Trust, Students.