The Relationship Between Digital Literacy and Purpose of Social  Network Usage: A Research on University Students

Mehmet Taşdemir; Mustafa Fedai Çavuş

doi:10.56345/ijrdv13n203

Authors

Mehmet Taşdemir Research Assistant, Faculty of Economics and Administrative Sciences, Osmaniye Korkut Ata University, Osmaniye, Turkiye
Mustafa Fedai Çavuş Professor Doctor, Faculty of Economics and Administrative Sciences, Osmaniye Korkut Ata University, Osmaniye, Turkiye

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.56345/ijrdv13n203

Keywords:

Digital Literacy, Social Networking Sites, Social Media, Digital Technologies

Abstract

The primary aim of this study is to determine the levels of digital literacy among university students and to examine the relationship between these levels and their purposes for using social networking sites within the framework of demographic variables. 344 university students volunteered to take part in this research. The Personal Information Form, the Digital Literacy Scale (DLS) and the Scale of Purposes for Using Social Networking Sites (SMUPS) were used as data collection tools. The independent variables are gender, grade level, daily social media usage time, previous education in digital or information technologies, and GPA. Data analysis involved the Kolmogorov-Smirnov and Shapiro-Wilk normality tests, the independent samples t-test, ANOVA, correlation, and multiple linear regression analyses. The analyses revealed a significant and positive relationship between the level of digital literacy and the purpose of using social networking sites. Consequently, it was concluded that enhancing digital literacy levels would contribute to a more conscious and purpose-driven use of social networking sites.

Received: 23 February 2026 │ Accepted: 25 June 2026 │ Published: 23 July 2026