Stressor–Strain–Outcome Dynamics of Digital Distractions: Investigating Social Media Usage, Subjective Well-Being, and Academic Performance Among University Students

Background: With the rapid development in technologies and social media applications, university life has changed completely when it comes to daily activities and communication as well as the educational settings. Though, on the one hand, platforms like Instagram, Snapchat, YouTube, and WhatsApp bring numerous possibilities for networking, collaborative learning, and sharing educational resources, on the other hand, their frequent use creates serious problems on psychological and academic levels. The present study is going to explore the interdependent relationships between social media usage (SMU) patterns, subjective well-being (SWB), and academic performance of university students at the University of Sargodha in Pakistan. Particularly, the research will analyze such aspects as social media usage frequency, platforms used, reasons for using social media, effects on psychology such as upward social comparisons and related academic results.A descriptive research methodology has been chosen for conducting this research. A sample of 331 students from undergraduate and graduate programs at various faculty of the University of Sargodha was selected using a stratified random sampling method. To collect data, questionnaires were used including measures of social media usage, subjective well-being scales and academic performance indicators. Analyses have been made with the help of statistical software SPSS Version The results show that social media is an integral part of college students' lives and most of them are actively using it daily on a smartphone for more than three hours with a view to socializing, entertainment, and education. However, whereas moderate and goal-directed use is positively correlated with collaboration and academic motivation, compulsive and obsessive use causes serious academic and psychological risks. Constant access to idealized images of peers stimulates social comparison and leads to higher levels of anxiety, stress, and poor psychological well-being. Besides, digital task-switching is not related to learning and long periods of time spent online are linked with cognitive distraction, time substitution, late assignments, and lower grade point average. Social media plays a double role in university students' life since it functions both as an efficient means of education and as a cause of psychological problems and academic challenges. To create a healthy balance between them, the following measures should be taken by institutions and educators.