Examining the Relationships Between Media Literacy Social Media Usage Habits and Motivation Among University Students

The aim of this research is to examine the predictive role of university students' new media literacy levels on their social media usage habits and motivations. The "New Media Literacy Scale" and "Social Media Usage Habits and Motivations Scale" were used as a data collection tool in this research. The data was obtained from 418 students studying in different faculties at Burdur Mehmet Akif Ersoy University. Multiple linear hierarchical regression analyses were applied to the analysis of the data. The study showed that the students' new media literacy levels were generally high, and that they mostly used social media for leisure time, social interaction, and information. Furthermore, a weakly significant positive correlation was found between new media literacy and social media usage habits and motivations. In the regression analysis, the functional prosumption sub-factor was found to be a significant predictor of social media usage motivations. The results reveal that media literacy is an important variable that determines how and for what purposes university students use social media.