A gender comparison based network analysis for social media addiction behaviors in cross-cultural contexts

Abstract

Social media addiction (SMA) has become a prevalent behavioral addiction among university students worldwide, with acculturation stress and social identity threats amplifying this phenomenon among international students. Prior research has focused on causal factors influencing the SMA, such as social norms and cognitive‒behavioral mechanisms, while overlooking the core features and gender differences in SMA manifestations. This gap hinders international students’ recognition of their behavioral pathways and limits educational policymakers’ ability to provide effective support. This study aims to elucidate the gender-mirror core features and differences in the SMA among international students via network analysis, integrating the gender role expectations theory and the cognitive-behavioral model of problematic internet use (PIU) to explain divergent behavioral pathways. The findings reveal that males exhibit an agentic orientation (independence–competition–achievement), leveraging social media for information acquisition and social identity maintenance, with greater self-recognition potentially indicating conscious indulgence. Conversely, females display a communal orientation (caring–cooperation–emotional expression), relying on platforms for emotional network maintenance, with usage concealment likely stemming from low recognition of addictive behaviors. These findings inform tailored interventions—such as time-management training for males and emotional regulation strategies for females—to increase resilience, social integration, and academic success among international students.