Dini Değerlerin Öz Denetime Etkisi: Sosyal Medya Kullanımı
The Effect of Religious Values on Self-Control: Social Media Use

Summary/Abstract: This study aims to examine the effect of religious values on developing adolescents' self-control skills in social media use. The increase in the social media accounts of individuals of all ages, the increase in the time allocated to posts and followers increases the interest in this subject as it includes changes at the individual and social level. Especially the harmonisation efforts between the physical and mental changes of individuals in adolescence and their transformations in their social lives make it important to study these processes. Self-control, which is one of the factors determining social media use, has a complex value that can be affected by different factors. In this respect, the aim of this study is to examine the role of religious values in the development of adolescents‘ (secondary school students’) self-control skills in social media use and how these values provide an effect. In order to achieve this aim, the study was conducted with sequential exploratory (first quantitative and then qualitative) mixed method designs, quantitative data were collected to reveal the relationship between variables and qualitative (phenomenological) study was conducted to support the results obtained. The population of the research consists of secondary school students in the Anatolian side of Istanbul province. In the quantitative study, 422 students were reached. In line with the data obtained from the quantitative study, an in-depth study was carried out with 16 students with the highest and lowest averages in the context of correlation. In the data collection process, three distinct scales were utilized: the Religious Consciousness Scale, the Self-Control and Self-Management Scale, and the Social Media Usage Scale, in addition to a semistructured interview form. The study, which involved a total of 422 students, employed SPSS and AMOS software for quantitative data analysis, utilizing Structural Equation Modeling (SEM), Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA), and Path Analysis. Based on the findings of the quantitative study, 16 students with the highest and lowest mean scores in terms of correlation were identified. In the second phase of the research, a phenomenological design, one of the qualitative research methods, was employed. As a data collection tool, in-depth interviews were conducted with 16 students using the interview technique. This approach aimed to explore the triggering factors behind students' social media posts, the influence of family and peers, and the role of religious values in the development of self-regulation skills. Adolescence is one of the most critical stages of psychosocial and cognitive development. The intensity of social media interactions in this period greatly affects young people's self-discipline, time management, content choices and decision-making skills on social media. In this context, analysing these factors increases the importance of this study. The results of this study show that various factors play a role in the social media use of individuals in early adolescence. While some of the participants emphasised the effect of religious values on self-control, others stated that their individual beliefs guide their behaviour. It has been determined that individuals who do not prioritise religious values are more reactive towards their family and friends. On the other hand, the participants who stated that their religious and moral values shaped their behaviour used religious arguments in this context.

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