Academic excellence and addictive social media use: A social ambivalence perspective

Abstract

This study examines the relationship between appreciation of high achievement, punishment for high achievement, and addictive social media use among university students, with punishment for high achievement acting as a mediating mechanism. A quantitative, non-experimental, cross-sectional design was employed. The sample comprised 726 university students from Peru (n = 357) and Ecuador (n = 369). Data were analyzed using structural equation modeling (SEM) with maximum likelihood estimation in AMOS. The measurement model demonstrated adequate reliability, as well as convergent and discriminant validity. In the structural model, appreciation of high achievement had a positive and significant effect on punishment for high achievement (β = 0.424, p ≤ 0.001), which in turn positively influenced addictive social media use (β = 0.454, p ≤ 0.001). In contrast, the direct effect of appreciation of high achievement on addictive social media use was not significant (β = 0.084, p = 0.075). However, bootstrapping analysis confirmed a significant indirect effect (β = 0.184, p ≤ 0.001). These findings indicate that high academic achievement elicits ambivalent social responses that shape students' digital behavior, highlighting punishment for high achievement as a key explanatory mechanism. This study contributes to the literature by proposing an integrative model of social ambivalence surrounding academic excellence, linking recognition, social sanction, and addictive social media use in university contexts.