Pages: 6-13

Abstract

In today's world, with the expansion of social networks, a new combination of communication applications has been created. The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between the rate and the manner of using virtual social networks and mental health and social intimacy in two groups of students with high and low academic performance. This research is a descriptive and correlational study. A sample of 275 third-grade high school female students was selected and then completed the questionnaires on the rate and the manner of using social networking, General Health Questionnaire and Miller's social intimacy. It was also found that there is a relationship between the variables of the rate and the manner of using social networks in two groups of students with high and low academic performance and mental health and social intimacy. The findings of the present study indicated that the excessive use of social networks causes people to distance themselves from the real world and bring them back to virtual groups to compensate. Living in the virtual world can put mental health at risk. However, due to reduced distance and cost-effectiveness, and as a result of increased communication between people, social intimacy increases.