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Stream/Area:
-
Subject:
-
Paper ID:
IJSREM66003
Volume:
10 |
7 |
Jul 2026
Pages:
1-8
Publication Frequency:
Monthly (12 issues per year)
License:International Journal of Scientific Research in Engineering and Management follows the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 (CC BY 4.0) License, allowing free use and distribution with proper attribution.
Business Management
GNIMT, LUDHIANA
Business Administration
GNDEC, LUDHIANA
Globally, there has been a marked transformation in the dependency upon and usage patterns of social media applications, with youth exhibiting increasing curiosity and engagement in their adoption. SMAs have emerged as significant determinants of individual attitude, perception, cognitive orientation, and lifestyle, functioning simultaneously as sources of entertainment and psychological gratification. Recognizing that multiple factors influence youth inclination toward SMAs, this study investigated these determinants alongside the perception and usage patterns of youth with respect to social media applications. Using a sample of 300 respondents, gender was analyzed as a variable to identify potential behavioral differences. Findings revealed no statistically significant difference between male and female users' engagement levels. The majority of respondents were identified as daily users with more than five years of active usage, typically maintaining one to two accounts across platforms. Instagram emerged as the most preferred application for sustaining connectivity. Predominant activities included audio/video calling, chatting, and photo/video sharing. Friends and the internet were identified as primary sources of awareness, with respondents demonstrating adequate understanding of the legal implications of SMA usage and reporting overall favorable user experiences.
KEYWORDS
The findings collectively suggest that youth engagement with social media is deep-rooted, gender-differentiated in specific behavioral respects (duration of use, network size), yet largely convergent in platform choice and legal awareness. Most importantly, youth exhibit a balanced, nuanced perception of SMAs recognizing both their constructive potential (education, self-development, connectivity, academic support) and their risks (addiction, distraction, misuse, need for regulation) reinforcing the study's central argument that judicious, informed, and responsible use of social media applications is essential to maximizing their benefits while mitigating associated harms.
Pew Research Center. (2025, December 12). Teens, social media and technology 2024. https://www.pewresearch.org/internet/2024/12/12/teens-social-media-and-technology-2024/ Pew Research Center. (2023, December 11). Teens, social media and technology 2023. https://www.pewresearch.org/internet/2023/12/11/teens-social-media-and-technology-2023/ Pew Research Center. (2022, August 10). Teens, social media and technology 2022. https://www.pewresearch.org/internet/2022/08/10/teens-social-media-and-technology-2022/ Dar, A. A., et al. (2022). The impact that social media has had on today's generation of Indian youth: An analytical study. ResearchGate. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/362072284 Pandey, D. K., De, H. K., & Dubey, S. K. (2020). Social media usage among agriculture collegians in North-Eastern India. Indian Journal of Extension Education, 56(2), 26–30. Singh, A., & Kumari, H. (2020). Impact of social media on adolescents' mental health. Su, W., Han, X., Yu, H., Wu, Y., & Potenza, M. N. (2020). Do men become addicted to internet gaming and women to social media? A meta-analysis examining gender-related differences in specific internet addiction. Computers in Human Behavior, 113, Article 106480. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chb.2020.106480 Twenge, J. M., & Martin, G. N. (2020). Gender differences in associations between digital media use and psychological well-being: Evidence from three large datasets. Journal of Adolescence, 79, 91–102. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.adolescence.2019.12.018 Kumar, S., & Kumar. (2019). Effects of social media use during study hours on academic performance [Study]. As cited in A study of Instagram dependency on Indian youth. TechRxiv. https://www.techrxiv.org Alhabash, S., & Ma, M. (2017). A tale of four platforms: Motivations and uses of Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Snapchat among college students. Social Media + Society, 3(1), 1–14.
Publication Date
7/11/2026
Peer Review Type
Double-Blind Peer Review
Review Rounds: 2
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Conflict of Interest
The authors declare no conflict of interest related to this research work.
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