Am I A Facebook Addict?” An Investigation of Facebook Addiction Using Personality Traits through SEM

Tania Hasan and Haadiah Yasir

Lahore School of Economics

 Abstract: Facebook usage has come to a level where it has become an addiction. In this current study, the researchers have aimed to determine the link amongst the big five personality traits and their significance in predicting Facebook addiction. A convenience sample of 339 Facebook users studied to determine Facebook addiction. CFA was performed and all the items were retained. Structural Equation Modelling was performed that determined which personality trait and with what intensity, predicted the Facebook addiction. Facebook addiction and conscientiousness is negatively related to each other. The study concluded that users who are high on Facebook addiction are high on agreeableness trait. Whereas people who are high on the conflict will be less agreeable, thus a negative but highly significant relationship is confirmed. Facebook addiction is positively related to Neuroticism. Only ‘Withdrawal’ and ‘Conflict’ produced positive results whereas all other produced negative relation between Facebook addiction and Neuroticism. Our study produced mostly insignificant results for most of the variables measuring Facebook addiction and extraversion. Only salience proved to be highly significant in this case. Our study added to the results of the previous researches done and openness to experience was proved to be positively related to Facebook addiction.

Keywords: Facebook addiction. Personality Traits