The Relationship of Problematic Use of Social Networks with Procrastination, Academic Motivation and Self-Control in Communication

The relationship between addiction to social networks and numerous manifestations of psychological ill-being prompted the introduction and study of the construct “problematic use of social networks,” which includes addiction to social networks (as a cause) and all sorts of problems associated with this addiction. The purpose of this study is to identify possible relationships between problematic use of social networks and procrastination, academic motivation and self-control in communication. The empirical basis of the study was the results of an online testing of 2364 respondents (average age M = 21.05, SD = 9.9), among them 1309 women (M = 19.7, SD = 7.1) and 1055 men (M = 21.7, SD = 12.3). The study used: a social network addiction questionnaire (authors V.P. Sheinov, A.S. Devitsyn), a short version of a smartphone addiction questionnaire (author V.P. Sheinov), a short version of the “Academic Motivation Scale” methodology [10], “Procrastination Scale” by K. Lei, adapted by [32], M. Snyder’s test “Self-control in communication”. This study established negative relationships between problematic use of social networks by women and men with cognitive motivation and achievement motivation and positive relationships with interjected and external motivation and smartphone addiction. Moreover, for men the relationship with cognitive motivation is linear, and for women it is nonlinear. A link was found between social media addiction and procrastination in women, but not in men. This contradicts a similar connection established by a number of foreign researchers in women and men. The connection with self-control in communication established in this study correlates with a similar result shown in foreign publications. The results presented in the article can be used in explanatory work among students, their parents, teachers, and psychologists of educational institutions about the dangers of dependence on social networks due to its direct connection with procrastination and decreased motivation to study.