The Parasitic Role of EFL Learners' Problematic Social Media Use in Language Learning

This study explores language learning through investigating the association between English as a Foreign Language (EFL) learners' problematic social media use (PSMU), academic burnout, self-determination motivation, foreign language anxiety (FLA) and language proficiency (LP). In this preliminary small-scale study, the data were collected from ۶۱ undergraduate students majoring in English-related fields at three universities in Mazandaran Province. The results revealed significant correlations between PSMU and the studied variables: a positive correlation between PSMU and FLA, indicating that excessive social media use exacerbates language anxiety, a negative correlation between PSMU and motivation, suggesting that problematic social media use undermines intrinsic and extrinsic motivation, a strong positive correlation between PSMU and academic burnout, highlighting its role in emotional exhaustion and reduced academic efficacy, and a near-perfect negative correlation between PSMU and LP, emphasizing the detrimental impact on language learning outcomes. The study demonstrated the dual-edged nature of social media in EFL learning, offering connectivity and resources while posing risks to psychological well-being and academic performance. Practical implications include the need for digital literacy training, structured social media use, and interventions to mitigate anxiety and burnout. These findings contribute to theoretical frameworks such as Self-Determination Theory and provide actionable insights for educators, policymakers, and learners to optimize digital learning environments.

Keywords:

Problematic social media use , foreign language anxiety , self-determination motivation , academic burnout , language proficiency , EFL learners