The Relationship Between Social Media Use and Social Responsibility Among Students at Koya University

Abstract

This study investigates the level of social media usage and its relationship with social responsibility among Koya University students, both overall and across demographic variables (gender and academic stage), a descriptive correlational comparative research design was employed. Because no suitable Kurdish-language instrument was available, the researchers developed a scale for social media usage, while adopting Qasim’s (2006) scale for social responsibility. Face validity was established through expert review, and reliability of both scale was confirmed. The instrument was administered to a sample of 146 students distributed across seven departments at the Faculty of Education at Koya University. Results revealed a weak, statistically non-significant inverse correlation between the use of social media networks and social responsibility. Generally, the sample members demonstrated a low level of social media network usage, while having a high level of social responsibility. Regarding the use of social media networks, there were no statistically significant differences among the students according to the gender and academic stage variables. As for the level of social responsibility, the results showed that there are statistically significant differences among the students according to the gender variable in favor of females, and no statistically significant differences among them according to the academic stage variable. Based on these findings, several recommendations and future suggestions are proposed.