The Impact of Short Video App Addiction on Loneliness among Chinese College Students in the Age of AI and Multiculturalism

(Purpose) In the context of the highly developed and networked multicultural environment ofthe current AI era, this study explores the relationship between short video addiction and loneliness among college students, as well as the mediating roles of social anxiety and life satisfaction in this relationship. (Design/methodology/approach) With the Short Video Addiction Scale, the Loneliness Scale, the Social Anxiety Scale, and the Life Satisfaction Scale, a questionnaire survey was conducted on among college students in Hebei Province, China. After sorting the responses, 512 valid data were obtained. Results: short video addiction and social anxietyand loneliness were significantly positively correlated (r=0.310, 0.377,P<0.01); short video addiction and life satisfaction were significantly negatively correlated (r=-0.334, P<0.01); social anxiety and lifesatisfaction were significantly negatively correlated (r=-0.446, P<0.01); social anxiety and loneliness were significantly positively correlated (r=0.430, p<0.01); life satisfaction and loneliness were significantly negatively correlated (r=-0.449, p<0.01). Social anxiety and life satisfaction played a chain mediating role in the relationship between college students' short video addiction and loneliness. (Findings) Under the multicultural background of AI era, college students' short-video addiction can have an effect on loneliness through the separate mediating role of social anxiety, or on loneliness through the separate mediating role of life satisfaction. It can also have an effect on loneliness through the chain mediating role of social anxiety and life satisfaction. (Research implications or Originality) This study mainly explores the relationship between short video addiction and loneliness in the multicultural context of AI era, and also explores the role of social anxiety and life satisfaction in college students. This research is novel in perspective and of great significance to the network mental health construction of college students.