Investigating the Relationship Between Information Literacy and Social Media Competence Among University Students

Abstract

Although the current landscape in education emphasizes the importance of developing students’ information literacy in formal education settings, little attention has been paid to information literacy within the context of social media use. This study investigated the relationship between information literacy and social media competence (SMC) among 1843 university students. This was done in order to increase knowledge of the components that may be important for preparing university students to be information literate citizens in social media environments. Students’ information literacy and SMC were measured by the Student Information Literacy Test and the SMC-CS scale respectively. Correlation and regression analyses were utilized to explore the relationship between university students’ information literacy and their SMC. The results showed that university students’ ability to utilize information technology to solve problems, and their sense of responsible behavior in cyberspace, are the most critical factors in predicting students’ SMC. Based on the findings, theoretical and practical implications are discussed in terms of enhancing university students’ information literacy and SMC.