Adaptation of the Social Media Addiction Scale into Azerbaijani Turkish: Validity and Reliability Study

Excessive attachment to social media, a constant desire to be online, being driven by uncontrollable motivation, and the negative impact of this situation on other significant areas of life are considered as social media addiction. In this study, the Social Media Addiction Scale Student Form (SMAS-SF), previously developed in Türkiye to determine students' levels of social media addiction, was adapted into Azerbaijani Turkish. The SMAS-SF is a five-point likert-type scale consisting of 29 items that can be grouped under four factors. The study group consisted of a total of 1,074 students aged 18-26 studying at different universities in Baku. The sample of the study was determined using the convenient sampling method, one of the non-probabilistic sampling determination types. Within the scope of the validity and reliability studies of the scale, expert opinion, exploratory factor analysis (EFA), confirmatory factor analysis (CFA), item total correlations, lower and upper group mean differences, and internal consistency coefficient and stability analyses were performed. As a result of the analyses, it was found that the original structure of the SMAS-SF, consisting of 29 items and 4 dimensions, was confirmed, and significant evidence was provided that it can be used as a valid and reliable measurement tool to determine the level of social media addiction among university students aged 18-26. The lowest possible score that can be obtained from the scale is 29, and the highest score is 145. A high score may indicate a high level of social media addiction in students.