Serial mediation effects of ubiquity and notification on the relationship between habitual social media checking behaviors and self-control failures

Abstract

This study investigated the correlation between habitual checking behavior and self-control failure during social media use among South Korean university students. The study also examined how the ubiquity of and immediate responses to social media notifications affect this relationship, both independently and serially. An online survey was conducted with 400 undergraduate students at South Korean universities. The findings indicate a significant positive relationship between habitual checking behaviors and self-control failure in South Korean university students’ social media use. Ubiquity mediated habitual checking behaviors and self-control failure; ubiquity and immediate responses to notifications mediated the relationship between habitual checking behavior and self-control failure; and ubiquity and immediate responses to notifications serially mediated the relationship between habitual checking behavior and self-control failure. The results highlight the social media use challenges of university students and the factors that contribute to self-control failure in this context.