Social Media Fatigue Scale: Adaptation to Turkish Culture, Validity and Reliability Study

Abstract

In the present study, the Social Media Fatigue Scale (SMFS) developed by Zhang et al. (2021) was adapted to Turkish culture, and the scale's psychometric properties were examined. A cross-sectional survey was conducted with 409 Turkish teacher candidates (Mage= 21.75 years, 48.7% female). Confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) was performed to confirm whether the original factor structure of the SMFS was validated in the Turkish version. Then, the heterotrait-monotrait (HTMT) ratio method was used to examine the discriminant validity of the SMFS. In addition, tests of internal consistency, concurrent validity with external criterion measures, and gender differences were conducted. Jeffreys's Amazing Statistics Program (JASP) version 0.18.3 was used for CFA, HTMT ratio, and internal consistency analyses; IBM SPSS version 25.0 was used for the rest of the analyses. The Turkish version of SMFS consists of 15 items and three sub-dimensions, including cognitive experiences (5 items), behavioral experiences (5 items), and emotional experiences (5 items). This result indicated that the original three-dimensional structure was harmonized with Turkish culture. The three-factor structure of the Turkish version of SMFS has satisfactory psychometric properties in both internal and external validity. In addition, the Turkish version of SMFS was found to be valid for measuring social media fatigue. The Turkish version of SMFS has acceptable psychometric properties regarding internal consistency, concurrent validity, and discriminant validity. Accordingly, it can be considered a valid and reliable measurement tool for assessing social media fatigue in future research. The Turkish version of SMFS provides a general framework for comparative analysis of results from different studies.