Structural Relationships between Social Media Usage Patterns and Value Orientation among College-Going Youth in Rural and Urban Tamil Nadu: A Structural Equation Modelling Approach

The present study examines the structural relationship between social media usage patterns and value orientation among college-going youth in rural and urban Tamil Nadu, with special reference to Trichy and Dindigul districts. A purposive sample of 1536 college students were drawn from selected higher education institutions, representing diverse demographic characteristics such as age and gender. Data were collected using a structured questionnaire comprising three sections: demographic profile, multidimensional social media usage behaviours, and value orientation domains. The data were analysed using SPSS and AMOS, and Structural Equation Modelling (SEM) was employed to validate the measurement models and to examine the direct and indirect relationships between social media usage and value orientation. The results of the Social Media Use Scale model indicated that social media usage is a multidimensional construct significantly represented by active self-presentation, entertainment and information consumption, feedback monitoring, passive browsing, social comparison and negative, unsupportive engagement. Passive browsing and active self-presentation emerged as the strongest contributors to overall social media use. The value orientation model confirmed that moral, cultural, personal, spiritual and social values significantly contributed to overall value orientation, with moral values emerging as the strongest predictor. The integrated structural model revealed a statistically significant, though weak, positive influence of social media usage on value orientation, indicating that patterns of digital engagement are associated with subtle variations in youths’ value systems. The findings further demonstrate that value orientation among college-going youth is primarily shaped by moral, cultural and spiritual value domains, while social media usage plays a comparatively modest contributory role. The study provides empirical evidence for the multidimensional nature of both social media usage and value orientation and offers important implications for designing value-based digital literacy and educational interventions for rural and urban college students in Tamil Nadu.