Table I.

Social Media Addiction

Item Statement Mean Interpretation

No. (X) s
1. I am eager to always visit my social media 4.1 Strongly
account. Agree
2. Browsing on social media is the first thing I 3.32 Agree
do when I wake up.
3. I see social media as an instrument to 3.12 Neutral
escape from reality.
4. I am as I want to seem on my social media 3.64 Agree
accounts.
5. I feel excited when I am in my social media 3.32 Agree
platform
6. I can easily express myself thru social Agree
media. 3.32
7. I spend more time on social media than my Neutral
family. 2.68
8. I can live without social media accounts. Neutral
3.02
9. I feel sad when I am not on social media. Disagree
2.62
10. I feel more comfortable interacting with my Disagree
friends online than spending time with them
in real life 2.52
̅̅̅̅
Weighted Mean (𝑋 𝑤) = 3.166 Neutral

Table 1 represent the level of addiction, in terms of social media, of the selected
Regina Apostolorum Academy’s students. The researchers found out that the
respondents have a balance usage of their social media accounts.

The researchers computed the mean of each number together with the weighted
mean which is 3.166 with an indication of Neutral. It can account that the respondents
know how to use social media or it can be their school rules which is the usage of phones
inside of the academy is prohibited which can lead to a balance utilization of social media.
Moreover, Hall, J. et.al (2018) stated that the aspect of time may be an important element
to consider when it comes to studying the effects of social media. The researchers say
that time spent using social media sites like Facebook doesn't take away from other social
interactions, it is likely that using any type of media borrows time that could be used for
face-to-face interactions. To add, social networking helps a lot to humans in a daily basis
but there are potential addictions to it. However, this addiction gives excitement to the
users that their psychological craving changes (Leng, Y. et.al, 2019). This helps the
researchers to conclude that there is a positive and negative effect cause by social media.

The researchers perceive that the item no. 1 (I am eager to always visit my
social media account) had the highest mean which is 4.1 and it indicates that the
participant has a strong tendency to always be on their social media platforms. People
nowadays, especially teenagers, wants to always keep in touch with their social media
life. Furthermore, Jan, M. et.al (August 2017) stated that social media has a very strong
impact on the self-esteem of individuals. Students use these social networking sites for
information, communication and building and maintain of relationships. But majority of the
people end up making upward and downward comparisons with others. The upward
comparisons make people envy others and their lifestyles and also feel less obliged and
ungrateful for their bounties. As a result, the self-esteem of such people gets negatively
affected. Social media is growing very drastically in almost every country in the world. So,
it is impossible to keep people, especially students who use Facebook on a daily basis,
away from social media for a very long time. Moreover, in today’s time, likes, comments,
and posts we share on social media matter. Many individuals promote that it doesn't
matter but the truth is, it really matters. Those simple likes and comments help the
individual to feel like human. The satisfaction they are getting is very addicting (Seiter
2017). In the conclusion the respondent is eager to have an access to their social media
to stay updated and in what is the trends in today’s society.

Succeeding to this is item no. 5 (I feel excited when I am in my social media

platform.) having a mean of 3.32 which translates as Agree. The researchers found out
that whenever the respondents are using any of their social media platform, they are
having a feeling of excitement. In the research conducted by Chopra (2019), it shows that
social media is a platform where self-expression becomes more valuable. It helps in
making them feel less lonely and more connected. It helped them to express themselves
more easily and makes them feel connected. As inference, even in a virtual manner, the
fact that every individual gain attention or appreciation and get a chance to express
themselves in social media makes them excited when using it.

Item no. 10 (I feel more comfortable interacting with my friends online than
spending time with them in real life), however had the lowest mean of 2.52 which
means Disagreement. The respondents, even they use social media a lot of times, still
prefer personal or face-to-face interaction with friends rather than with online interaction.
Taylor (2011) indicated in his article that there are things that makes our real life, so real.
Like the sensory experiences it gives such as sight, hearing, smell, touch, taste and also
it includes balance, movement, temperature, pain, emotions and other things as well.
Most importantly, the development of each and every person’s social lives is essential for
the psychological and emotional well-being. It can be stated that the social media are
obviously given that it is social in nature, but it can also be seen as a "social lite," because
it limits the abundance of every human interactions. Therefore, even social media have
made communication or interaction among people easier, it cannot be fully considered as
the same level to as personal of face-to-face interaction.