Specifics of Volitional Regulation of Young Users of Social Network Sites

The article presents the results of the study exploring the influence of social networks on characteristics of volitional regulation in young people. Three groups of users of the social network VKontakte, differing in the time spent on the resource, as well as in the nature of online activity ("Up to 1 hour", "From 1 to 3 hours", "More than 3 hours") were compared. In total, 450 users aged 18 to 25 years old (average age 22.5 years) took part in the study. The sample consisted of 225 men and 225 women, university students or young professionals with higher education, single or unmarried, childless, living in large cities of the Russian Federation. The following methods were used: The Action Control Scale by J. Kuhl; the "Questionnaire for revealing the expression of self-control in the emotional sphere, activity and behavior"; the technique for self-assessment of volitional qualities; the Purpose in Life Test. Users who spend less than 1 hour a day in social networks are characterized by a more effective type of volitional regulation, strength of social and behavioral self-control, high self-estimation of volitional qualities, as well as a high meaningfulness of life. Users who spend more than 3 hours in social networks, on the contrary, are characterized by a less effective type of volitional regulation, low manifestation of social and behavioral self-control, low self-estimation of volitional qualities, as well as insufficient meaningfulness of life.