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Abstract

Aim of the Study: The aim of this study was to explore how personality traits (extraversion and neuroticism), motivational factors (extrinsic and intrinsic motives), and psychological influences like Fear of Missing Out (FoMO) predict social media usage and addiction.
Methodology: A quantitative approach was employed using hierarchical regression analysis on data collected from a sample of 257 university students in Islamabad.
Findings: The results revealed that extraversion, neuroticism, extrinsic motivation, and FoMO significantly predicted social media use. However, for social media addiction, only neuroticism, extrinsic motivation, and FoMO were significant predictors. Intrinsic motivation did not significantly influence either usage or addiction.
Conclusion: The study concludes that personality traits such as neuroticism and extraversion, along with extrinsic motives and especially FoMO, are key predictors of social media use and addiction among university students. While gender initially influenced behaviour, psychological and motivational factors held stronger predictive value. These findings offer useful directions for psychological interventions and highlight the pressing need to address emotional motivations in young people's social media engagement.