Exploring Digital Trust: Social Media Engagement and Security Concerns among Al Ain University Students

Objectives: This research aims to explore Al Ain University students' confidence in using social networking sites, focusing on their usage patterns, trust levels, and privacy concerns. It also seeks to understand the extent of students' engagement with various platforms and identify persistent privacy concerns, particularly regarding financial information. Methods: The research methodology involves data collection through surveys, analyzing usage patterns, trust levels, and privacy concerns among students. It emphasizes understanding the variance in trust and engagement across different social media platforms. The study targets active social network users from all disciplines at Al Ain University, using purposive sampling to achieve demographic representation. With a sample of 141 students, the approach ensures focused and relevant findings. Results: The findings reveal that most Al Ain University students are actively engaged with social media platforms, with WhatsApp, Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter being the most widely used. Snapchat emerged as the most utilized platform for reposting information and news, followed by Instagram, Twitter, and YouTube. The study indicates varying levels of trust and engagement across these platforms. Conclusions: The research stresses the need to address privacy concerns and promote digital responsibility among university students. It highlights the role of educational institutions in fostering digital literacy and the importance of verifying shared information. Insights from Al Ain University students suggest strategies for enhancing online trust and privacy. Continuous research and proactive measures are essential for ensuring student digital safety.