RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN SOCIAL NETWORKING ADDICTION AND ACADEMIC PERFORMANCE OF UNDERGRADUATE STUDENTS DURING COVID-19 PANDEMIC

The purpose of the present study is to explore the undergraduate student's social network addiction levels and relationship with academic performance. In addition to that, this research compares the undergraduate students' social networking sites addiction levels with respect to gender, habitat, age, semester of study, type of institution they graduate, experiences in social networking environments (years), time spent in social networking sites. This study was quantitative in nature. For this current research, a descriptive survey method was adopted. Data were collected through online survey dropping a mail on a large population of undergraduate students. Using convenience sampling techniques, 125 undergraduate students responded to the survey and it was taken for research. Collected data were analysed using SPSS and the hypotheses were tested using descriptive analysis, t-test, ANOVA and correlation analysis. Results revealed 65% undergraduate students addicted to social network sites and there was a linear relationship between social networking sites addiction levels and academic performance. Also, there was no significant difference in undergraduate student's social networking sites addiction with respect to gender, habitat, age, semester of study, type of institution they graduate, experiences in social networking environments (years), but there was a significant difference in undergraduate student's addiction and time spent in social networking sites.