Effects of Social Networking Sites on Students’ Psychosomatic Health in Western Odisha Universities During COVID-19 Pandemic – A statistical Analysis

INTRODUCTION

Internet and Social Networking Sites (SNSs) have revolutionized communications to such an extent that it is now our preferred medium of everyday communication. In the 1980s and 1990s, the internet widened in scope to encompass the Information Technology (IT) capabilities of universities and research centers. The internet has become an indispensable part of today’s society. The emergence of web 2.0 in the first decade of the twenty-first century was itself a revolution in the short history of the internet and social networking sites, fostering the rise of social media and other interactive, crowd-based communication tools [1]. It has at once turned into a worldwide broadcasting mechanism for information dissemination, and a medium for collaboration and interaction between individuals and their computers without regard for geographic location. The population of adolescents is 253.2 million according to the census 2011 [2]. Psychosomatic means mind (psyche) and body (soma). Psychosomatic health or disorder is a disease that involves both mind and body. Some physical diseases are thought to be particularly prone to be made worse by mental factors such as sleeplessness (Insomnia) or sleeping disorder, stress, depression, anxiety, etc. For example, these include psoriasis, eczema, stomach ulcers, high blood pressure, and heart disease. The mental state can affect how bad a physical disease is at any given time. The Merri am-Webster dictionary define s psychosomatic as relating to, involving, or concerned with bodily symptoms caused by mental or emotional disturbance [3]. The COVID-19 pandemic has forced leaders in politics and at universities to take drastic measures that affect how students and citizens interact and socialize with each other. In many countries around the world, individuals are required to reduce physical contact with others outside their household (social distancing) (Lancet, 2020). Additional measures include curfews, quarantines, and the closing of non-essential stores, schools, and universities. As many universities suspended classroom teaching and switched to online teaching, the lives of students have changed drastically (Glass RJ, et al. 2006). While social distancing measures may successfully slow down the spread of the infection and relieve the public health systems, they may eventually increase the social isolation of students and affect their psychological well-being and psychosomatic health (Bavel JJV, et al. 2020). Being under a lot of pressure to perform academically, students are pro ne to developi ng psychosomatic health problems (Mikolajczyk RT, et al. 2008). The social networking sites of students have been argued to be an important factor in buffering stress and helping them to be more effective (Stadtfeld C, et al. 2019). Reduced social interactions, a lack of social support, and newly arising stressors associated with the COVID-19 crisis could po tentially affect students ’ psychosomatic health negatively. Adolescents spending more and more time on the internet and social networking sites (SNSs) are prone to restrict physical activities, obesit y, insomnia, nomophobia, eyesight-related problems, sleep deprivation, body aches, and many others. Students are one of the most important users of the virtual world and social networks. The overuse of social networks has positive and negative academic, social, and health consequences for students (Jha RK, et al. 2016). Reduced academic performance is one of the most important consequences of social networking overuse for students. The results of a study on medical students showed that students who used social networking sites and the internet more than average had poor academic achievement and level o f concentration in the classroom (Upadhayay N, Guragain S. 2017).