ONLINE SELF-DISCLOSURE THROUGH SOCIAL NETWORKING SITES ADDICTION: A CASE STUDY OF PAKISTANI UNIVERSITY STUDENTS

Social networking sites provide a virtual platform for socialization, interaction, and entertainment. The overuse of social networking sites has become a global phenomenon, especially among young generations. The purpose of this study is to investigate the addiction elements of social networking sites and the impact of such an addiction on online self-disclosure. Additionally, the moderation effect of openness and extraversion was also analysed. Data from university students in Pakistan was gathered online using the Google survey application. In total 290 samples were gathered and examined. SPSS and AMOS software programmes were used to analyse data. Findings confirmed that young generations tend to have greater online self-disclosure due to social networking sites addiction. Both moderation results also showed a significant relationship between social networking sites addiction and online self-disclosure. The results of the current study are also used as a guideline for making policies related to social networking sites addiction.