Author
Department of Social Studies, College of Humanities and Social Sciences, King Saud University.
Abstract
This study aimed to identify the cognitive, emotional, and behavioral attitudes of youth toward the use of social media. It is a descriptive study that adopted the social survey method, using a questionnaire as the data collection tool. The questionnaire was administered to a purposive sample of 448 students from three universities in Riyadh: King Saud University, Imam Muhammad ibn Saud Islamic University, and Princess Nourah bint Abdulrahman University. The participants were selected based on specific criteria to assess their cognitive, emotional, and behavioral orientations toward the use of social media in relation to family issues.
The results showed that all participants had social media accounts and spent several hours daily on these platforms. Specifically, 39.3% of the sample reported spending five hours or more on social media daily, 35.5% used it for three to less than five hours, 20.8% for two to less than three hours, and 4.5% for less than two hours a day. The study also found that females used social media more than males, with 68.1% of the sample being female and 31.9% male. The most active age group was those aged 22 and above (46.7%), followed by those aged 20 to less than 22 (27%), and those aged 18 to less than 20 (26.3%). Regarding marital status, 81.5% were single, 15.8% were married, and 2.7% were divorced . This demographic breakdown highlights significant trends in social media usage patterns, particularly among younger individuals and those who are single. The findings suggest that social media platforms may play a crucial role in the social lives of these users, potentially influencing their communication habits and relationship dynamics.
One of the key findings is that the participants agreed that social media contributes to raising awareness about family issues, with a mean score of (3.92). They also agreed that the family problems shared on social media are real and not fictional, with a mean score of (3.44). However, the participants disagreed with continuing to follow individuals who share their family problems on social media, as indicated by a mean score of (2.50). The participants expressed empathy toward those facing these issues (mean = 3.60) and reported feelings of sadness due to the problems shared online (mean = 3.55).
The study concluded that the cognitive aspect among youth scored a mean of (3.51), indicating agreement. The emotional aspect scored (3.26), reflecting neutrality, while the behavioral aspect scored (2.16), indicating disagreement
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