Cyber Gossip and Social Media Addiction in College Students: Mediating Roles of Social Anxiety and Experiential Avoidance

Abstract

This study examined the relationship between cyber-gossip and social media addiction among college students, with social anxiety and experiential avoidance as mediating variables. Data were collected from 300 college students (male = 109, female = 191, ages 17-20) using a purposive sampling strategy and four self-report measures assessing cyber gossip, social media addiction, social anxiety, and experiential avoidance. All measures showed acceptable to excellent reliability. Correlation analysis revealed significant positive relationships between cyber gossip, social anxiety, and social media addiction. Mediation analysis showed that cyber gossip predicted social media addiction both directly and indirectly through social anxiety and experiential avoidance, with experiential avoidance emerging as the comparatively stronger mediating pathway. These findings clarify the psychological mechanisms linking interpersonal online behavior to compulsive social media use and suggest that interventions targeting anxiety and avoidance may help reduce social media addiction among students.