The Mediating Role of Mukbang in the Association between Loneliness and Smartphone Addiction in Emerging Adulthood

Abstract

Aim: The purpose of this study is to examine the mediating role of Mukbang viewing behavior in the relationship between loneliness and smartphone addiction in individuals in the emerging adulthood period. Recently, an important field of study has emerged due to the effects of loneliness on behaviors in technological environments and the examination of Mukbang videos on the mental health of individuals. In this context, the aim of this study is to examine smartphone addiction by exhibiting Mukbang viewing behavior in those experiencing loneliness. Method: In this study conducted with 401 participants, 280 females (69.8%) and 121 males (30.2%), the average age of the participants is 24.443 years (age range = 18-26, SD = 1.682). Within the scope of the study, data were collected from the participants face-to-face using the UCLA Loneliness Scale, Smartphone Addiction Scale, and Mukbang Addiction Scale. Conditional process analysis was performed using the SPSS PROCESS macro plugin in the analysis of the data. Additionally, the statistical significance of the mediating variable was examined using the bootstrapping method. Results: Correlation results indicated that there was a significant and positive relationship between all variables. Findings from the conditional process analysis suggest that Mukbang serves as a partial mediator in the connection between loneliness and smartphone addiction. Conclusion: The study reveals that Mukbang videos are used as a tool to cope with the feeling of loneliness of individuals and that this situation triggers smartphone addiction. The results demonstrate that intervention programs for conscious media use should be developed for individuals with high feelings of loneliness.

Keywords

• Loneliness
• Mukbang
• smartphone addiction
• emerging adulthood

Beliren Yetişkinlikte Yalnızlık ile Akıllı Telefon Bağımlılığı Arasındaki İlişkide Mukbang’in Aracı Rolü

Öz

Amaç: Bu çalışmanın amacı, beliren yetişkinlik dönemindeki bireylerde yalnızlık ile akıllı telefon bağımlılığı arasındaki ilişkide Mukbang izleme davranışının aracı rolünü incelemektir. Son dönemde yalnızlığın teknolojik ortamdaki davranışları etkilemesi ve Mukbang videolarının bireylerin ruh sağlığı üzerine incelenmesi nedeniyle önemli bir çalışma alanı oluşmuştur. Bu bağlamda, yalnızlık yaşayanların Mukbang izleme davranışı sergileyerek akıllı telefon bağımlılığının incelenmesi bu araştırmada hedeflenmektedir. Yöntem: 280 kadın (%69,8) ve 121 erkek (%30,2) olmak üzere 401 katılımcı ile gerçekleştirilen bu araştırmada katılımcıların yaş ortalaması 24.443’tür (Yaş aralığı = 18-26, Ss = 1,682). Araştırma kapsamında UCLA Yalnızlık Ölçeği, Akıllı Telefon Bağımlılığı Ölçeği ve Mukbang Bağımlılık Ölçeği kullanılarak katılımcılardan veriler yüz yüze toplanmıştır. Verilerin analizinde SPSS PROCESS makro eklentisi kullanılarak koşullu süreç analizi gerçekleştirilmiştir. Ek olarak, aracı değişkenin istatistiksel anlamlılığı bootstrapping yönteminden faydalanılarak incelenmiştir. Bulgular: Korelasyon sonuçları, tüm değişkenler arasında anlamlı ve pozitif yönde ilişki olduğunu göstermiştir. Koşullu süreç analizinde ise, yalnızlık ile akıllı telefon bağımlılığı arasındaki ilişkide Mukbang’in kısmi aracı rol oynadığı saptanmıştır. Sonuç: Araştırma sonucunda, Mukbang videolarının bireylerin yalnızlık duygusuyla başa çıkmada bir araç olarak kullanıldığını ve bu durumun akıllı telefon bağımlılığını tetiklediğini ortaya koymaktadır. Elde edilen sonuçlar, yalnızlık hissi yüksek bireyler için bilinçli medya kullanımına yönelik müdahale programlarının geliştirilmesi gerektiğini göstermektedir.

Anahtar Kelimeler

• Yalnızlık
• Mukbang
• akıllı telefon bağımlılığı
• beliren yetişkinlik

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