The social effects of using social media: A study on a sample of youth in Kuwait

This study examined the effects of social media usage on personality traits. Although the use of social networking sites has become an integral part of our daily lives, the effects of its social use and its impact on the individual's life satisfaction are unknown. The study sample included 583 young people (236 males and 346 females) from Kuwait. In this study, a questionnaire was used that included three axes related to personal data, the nature of using social networking sites, and the social effects of using social networking sites.
The study aimed to test four main hypotheses, and the results indicated that the first hypothesis was accepted, which says that the variable "the rate of using social networking sites" inversely affects the level of life satisfaction, and a strong acceptance of the second hypothesis that "the rate of using social networking sites" affects the degree of association with it. The results also indicated the acceptance of the third hypothesis that the variable "self-satisfaction" is related to the rate of life satisfaction, as it was found that there is a strong correlation. In the result of the fourth test, demographic variables were not influential except in limited cases of motives for using social networking sites.
Additionally, the results showed that there were no statistically significant differences between males and females in the rate of association with social networking sites. The ritual motives came at the forefront of the motives for using social networking sites, especially the motive to spend time, followed by the utilitarian motives such as: making new friends.