Investigating the Relationship between Cyberspace Use, Social Anxiety, and Short-Term Memory Function in Senior High School Female Students in Shiraz

The primary aim of this research was to investigate the relationship between the level of cyberspace use, social anxiety, and short-term memory function among senior high school female students in Shiraz. This study was applied in nature and descriptive, specifically correlational. The statistical population consisted of all senior high school female students in District 2 of Shiraz, comprising 4,219 individuals. Using Morgan’s table for sample size determination, 340 individuals were selected as the sample size; the sampling method was stratified random sampling. Data were collected using the Internet Addiction Questionnaire by Sadeghzadeh et al. (2018), the Social Anxiety Questionnaire by Connor et al. (2000), and the Weschler Memory Scale (1939).  Correlation and regression analyses were employed to test the hypotheses. The findings revealed a significant relationship between cyberspace use and social anxiety (r = 0.678; p < 0.0001). It was also found that internet use significantly affected various dimensions of social anxiety (fear, avoidance, and physiological distress) (p < 0.0001). Furthermore, a significant negative relationship was identified between cyberspace use and short-term memory (r = -0.510; p < 0.0001). Ultimately, excessive internet use among students was found to exacerbate social anxiety and diminish short-term memory performance.