The effect of social suspicion on social media addiction among Chinese college students

This study investigates the impact of social suspicion on social media addiction among Chinese college students, examining the mediating role of the sense of meaning in life and the moderating effect of gender. Conducted between September and November 2023 across three universities in southern Anhui Province, the research employs questionnaire surveys to analyze the interrelationships among social suspicion, sense of meaning in life, and social media addiction. Focusing on mechanism exploration, it particularly emphasizes the dual verification of mediating effects (through cognitive dimensions of meaning in life) and moderating effects (via gender differences) in the socio-psychological dynamics influencing new media behaviors. The findings aim to reveal the pathway through which socio-psychological factors affect digital consumption patterns, while addressing gaps in the existing literature regarding the mediating mechanisms of existential cognition and demographic moderation in technology-related behavioral research.