Routine Integration, Emotional Connection, and Social Media Dependency among University Students

The purpose of this study was to ascertain whether university students' reliance on social media is more strongly associated with the routine-integration or social-emotional pathway to social media. Boredom proneness (BP), need to belong (NTB), fear of missing out (FoMO), social media dependency (SMD), social integration and emotional connection (SIEC), and integration into social routines (ISR) were all included in the model. In this study, a cross-sectional survey design was employed. The study involved 438 eligible students from Universiti Malaysia Sarawak and Universiti Teknologi MARA Kota Samarahan Campus in Kota Samarahan. The results more strongly suggest a social-emotional explanation than a routine motivated by boredom.